Arizona sports wish list for 2024: Health, home, history for Suns, DBacks, Cardinals, ASU
Arizona sports fans went through some highs (Diamondbacks' run to the World Series) and lows (Cardinals' rough season so far) in 2023.
What will 2024 hold?
While we're not sure what will happen with our local sports teams and athletes in 2024, we know what we'd like to see happen, with one of our teams winning an elusive championship foremost among them.
You can't get greedy when you have a major championship drought as long as our state has, so we are only wishing for one title this year, but we do have other hopes and dreams for Arizona's sports teams and stars.
Here's our 2024 Arizona sports wish list of some things we'd like to see throughout the year, in no particular order:
Health
Can we get more generic with a wish?
We are wishing for health for Arizona's athletes, including some key stars (we're looking at you Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Kyler Murray, Diana Taurasi, Jaden Rashada) in 2024.
We'll take losing when one of our teams is at full strength. We just don't want injuries leaving us with more "What could have been?" questions in the upcoming year.
Here's to seeing a 2024 without serious injury to Arizona athletes (one can wish, right?).
Arizona Coyotes find a permanent home in Valley
The arena saga has gone on for too long.
One wish of ours for 2024 is that it will finally come to an end, with a permanent arena solution that secures the team's long-term future in Arizona and proves, once and for all, that hockey can work in the desert.
Because we think it can.
ASU football starts to awaken from 'sleeping giants' slumber
Arizona State University has long been thought of as a "sleeping giant" with a lot of potential.
One of our wishes for 2024 is that it can start to realize some of that potential in its first year in the Big 12 under coach Kenny Dillingham.
The Sun Devils have huge holes to fill and will have big questions in 2024, but we'd love to see Dillingham and the program start to move forward in the new era of college athletics, because that era appears here to stay.
Can the program make ground in the NIL race? Can it be competitive in Big 12 country? We'd love to see it all start coming together in 2024.
Arizona Diamondbacks prove 2023 MLB run was no fluke
We're not wishing for the DBacks to win the World Series in 2024 (although we certainly wouldn't complain), but we are wishing that Arizona's MLB franchise can show that 2023 was no fluke.
Is a return to the postseason too much to ask? Arizona baseball fans have gone too long between postseason appearances in the past, so we'd love to see the Diamondbacks go back-to-back and perhaps start a string of consecutive postseason trips.
It could happen.
Arizona Cardinals make a turnaround in 2024
We won't wish for the Cardinals to make the playoffs or even go on a lengthy Super Bowl run in 2024 (we might save that for 2025), but we would like to see the team start to turn things around next season and perhaps come close to making the playoffs as it continues its rebuild under Monti Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon.
The question is, will Kyler Murray be the quarterback of that rebuild and will he be the QB of the next great Cardinals team?
Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury make a last postseason run
We're not sure when Diana Taurasi will retire, but wouldn't it be nice if she went out with one last WNBA postseason run?
The WNBA legend is planning on playing a 20th WNBA season in 2024 and if it is her last, we can't think of anything greater (besides winning the WNBA title, but we're trying to keep semi-realistic expectations here) than for her to go out in the postseason, adding to her legacy of success along the way and further cementing her status as greatest of all-time in women's basketball.
An Arizona men's college basketball team makes Final Four
State Farm Stadium in Glendale is hosting the 2024 NCAA Men's Final Four in Glendale on April 6 and April 8.
Wouldn't it be nice if an Arizona team made it to the Final Four?
Arizona obviously has the best shot, with Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats among the favorites to win the national title this season, but we wouldn't complain if Arizona, Arizona State, Grand Canyon or even NAU made it to Glendale.
An impressive tournament run by one of those teams would capture the state's attention and make the Final Four a must-see in Arizona.
Could it happen?
Phoenix Suns win first NBA championship
Our biggest desire in 2024 is for the Phoenix Suns to win that elusive first NBA title.
Is that really too much to ask?
Long-suffering fans of Phoenix's NBA franchise have seen more than their share of heartbreak through the years and the team has lost three times in the NBA Finals (1976, 1993, 2021).
The franchise began playing in 1968.
Can a Big 3 of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal lead the team to its first title in 2024?
It's past time NBA fans in Phoenix have an actual NBA Finals-winning parade.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona sports wish list for 2024: NBA Title for Phoenix Suns, more
