Cedric Ceballos

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Ceballos' time with the Suns was marked by explosive moments and a key role in a deep playoff run. In the 1992–93 season, he led the entire NBA in field goal percentage at 57.6%. That postseason, he was pivotal: in the Western Conference Finals Game 1 against the Seattle SuperSonics, he scored a team-high 21 points to secure the victory. The Suns went on to beat Seattle in a seven-game series and reached the Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls. After being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1994 for a first-round draft pick, Ceballos was later traded back to the Phoenix Suns prior to the 1996-1997 season, alongside Rumeal Robinson, for Robert Horry and Joe Kleine. In that return season, he started 32 of 42 games and scored 15.6 points per game; it would be the most starts over the last 7 years of his career. He later became employed by the Suns as their in-arena emcee and host of a weekly webcast, "Nothin' but Net".

In Their Own Story

The 1992 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The crowd in Orlando fell silent as Cedric Ceballos, representing the Phoenix Suns, tied a blindfold over his eyes. He took the ball, soared to the rim, and slammed it home, winning the contest with that iconic, sightless dunk. That same season, he was a machine of efficiency, leading the entire league with a 57.6 field goal percentage.

Reader's Guide

Cedric Ceballos played for the Phoenix Suns as a small forward. His most notable achievements with the team came in the early 1990s. In 1992, he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest by performing a blindfolded dunk. The following season, 1992–93, he led the entire NBA in field goal percentage, shooting 57.6%. The Suns won that series in seven games and advanced to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls. After being traded away, Ceballos was traded back to the Suns prior to the 1996-1997 season alongside Rumeal Robinson for Robert Horry and Joe Kleine. In that season, he started 32 of 42 games and averaged 15.6 points per game. Years later, he returned to the organization as their in-arena emcee and host of the weekly webcast "Nothin' but Net".

Did You Know?

• Ceballos won the 1992 NBA Slam Dunk Contest by performing a blindfolded dunk.
• He led the entire NBA in field goal percentage (57.6) in the 1992–93 season with the Suns.
• He is a second cousin of his former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant, as their grandfathers were brothers.
• In 2011, Ceballos suffered a series of small heart attacks and successfully recovered after undergoing an angioplasty with two stents placed in his heart.