Conchas, corridos and veladoras: Valley fans celebrate 'Los Suns' playoff run
When Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul injured his shoulder in the first game of the opening round of NBA Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers, Sal Lopez — born and raised in Phoenix and a self-described lifelong Suns fan — put up a veladora for him.
This was not your typical prayer candle. It featured an image of Paul's face imposed over a saint-like figure in a tall glass, wearing religious icons and donning a halo. He posted the veladora online.
The altered photo circulated among Latino fans on social media. A similar image with shooting guard Devin Booker gained traction as well, after his standout games in the series that eliminated the reigning NBA champs.
"That was really cool," Lopez said with a chuckle. "It was something that everybody rallied around, and then everybody was spreading it. So I think that was super awesome."
At La Purisima Bakery in Glendale, customers must walk through glass double doors decorated with a large team logo and the words "Vamos Suns" overhead.
Once inside, they can buy a concha that owners Irma and José Arrellano began making, with a purple and orange cracked sugar topping.
Irma Arellano said her husband and children are huge Suns fans, "de hueso colorado" she pointed out. So baking them in the team's colors is their way to show support.
The conchas have been a popular item these past few weeks.
"A lot of people will come to the panadería with their Suns jerseys, wearing their hats, and they recognize the Suns conchas and ask for them," Irma Arellano said.
Throughout the Phoenix metro area, fans have come up with unique ways steeped in Latino and Mexican-American culture to rally behind Los Suns as they ended a 10-year playoff drought with a dedicated run to the NBA Finals.
Latinos account for a narrow majority of the population in Phoenix, and one in three residents in the larger metro area, according to the latest U.S. Census estimates. The vast majority are of Mexican descent.
As the city's Latino population has grown over the decades, so has its connection with Phoenix's first professional sports team.
Los Suns' arrival to the NBA Finals this year, the first appearance in 28 years and the third one in the history of the franchise, has fired up Latino fans — both recent and longtime immigrants who now call Phoenix home and, increasingly, their children born and raised here.
"I remember that time in 1993 when they faced off against the Chicago Bulls, they were such a great team!" said Arellano, the baker, a Mexican immigrant from Morelos who has lived in Phoenix for nearly 30 years.
"Since then we've been rooting for them, and like us, there are more and more Latinos who follow them as well," she said.
As is often the case with sports, Los Suns have been a way for many Valley families to make memories together and to instill pride for their home team and hometown.
A heartfelt ballad: 'Este año es el nuestro'
Emanuel Coria was born and raised in Phoenix. He grew up going to Suns games with his father every April to celebrate his birthday.
Coria especially remembers showing up to Phoenix Suns Arena one year and waiting in line to buy tickets, but they had sold out. He left in tears.
His dad took him the following week, arriving earlier to secure tickets. They were sitting at the very last row of the arena, their seats against the wall when a stranger approached them asking if it was just the two of them.
"I thought we were at the wrong seat or something," Coria recalled. "He’s like, 'I always come to the back row and I always give two people that are sitting here (seats),' and my dad is like ‘Oh wow!’ And he gave us those seats, which was the first time I sat so close to the floor."
During the games themselves, the connection between Los Suns and their Latino fanbase is on full display.
Los Suns have an official Spanish-language broadcaster, airing all their games on La Mejor 106.5FM/1400AM. As players take to the court, it is not uncommon to hear songs by legendary artists like Vicente Fernandez or rising superstars like Bad Bunny blaring throughout the arena.
The current "Los Suns" merchandise collection is nearly sold out, a team spokesperson told The Arizona Republic.
Julio Hernández, a longtime Phoenix resident originally from Chihuahua, paid $300 for his ticket to see the Suns take on the Los Angeles Clippers during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals at home.
Though the team lost the game, Hernández said it made him happy to walk through the hallways of the arena listening to many of the fans speaking Spanish and hearing songs in Spanish through the speakers.
"Obviously the ticket was worth every penny," he said.
Coria, who grew up listening and loving banda music, now has the chance to go from hearing the music at the games to actually playing it with Banda La Alterada, the Phoenix-based ensemble he founded a decade ago.
Weeks before the playoffs began, during a virtual concert for the Suns in May, the group released a corrido, a ballad intuitively titled "Este año es el nuestro," — This Is Our Year in English.
"We called it," he said laughing.
It took Coria, who plays the tuba, and lead vocalist Hugo Lugo about 15 minutes to write the lyrics. The Suns OK'd the song, gave each of the banda members Booker jerseys and allowed them to record a video from center court at the arena. It has been viewed over 25,000 times on YouTube.
The lyrics of the corrido refer to the Suns starting players by name, kicking off with Chris Paul, el comandante, and coach Monty Williams. It alludes to the 10-year break between Suns' playoff appearances while optimistically looking ahead.
"Without fear, success awaits. That's why we're the pride of the Finikera," the lyrics say, referring to a Spanish nickname for Phoenix.
The song ends with an ode to the "legendary" Devin Booker, with the lyrics pointing out his own Mexican heritage.
Booker's maternal grandfather was born in Los Nogales, Nuevo León, in northern México. He emigrated to Michigan, where Booker grew up.
"When I was finally drafted to Phoenix I finally got to see the Hispanic culture around me for the first time in my life," Booker said in an interview with Suns in December, speaking about his Mexican heritage.
"You drive around the city and see it. You look into the stands and see it. So that made me want to learn about myself because I just hadn't been around it as much," he said.
Fans may have noticed Booker's appreciation for classic cars, including the beige Chevrolet Caprice with gold rims that he drove in for Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Or his all-brown ensemble for Thursday's game at Staples Center, with a crisp brown shirt fully buttoned up. Some see references to Chicano culture in that.
For Coria, the reception to the corrido has been positive. But he cannot help but think back to the first time he was so close to the basketball court: sitting next to his dad, who passed away 11 years ago.
"I just kind of remember that, and remembering when we recorded that song, it was in April," he said. "So I was kind of like 'I got another gift this year with that.' For me personally, that was a highlight of it."
'The Suns are the first love'
Driving around Phoenix, displays of support for Los Suns are now ubiquitous as the team looks to bring its first NBA championship home.
Lopez, a lifelong Suns fan, said he thinks the team has done a great job at making everyone feel like they are a part of their success this year, even adopting the "Rally the Valley" moniker to get the entire metro area on board.
"I don't think any other team in our city could really bring us together that way like the Suns could," he said.
"Some other teams have been really great, but the Suns are the first love. And obviously to make sure that everybody feels a part of it, especially Latinos, that's something that I will never lose," Lopez said. "And I'm happy and I'm excited to pass on to my daughters, and make sure that they carry on for their lives, too."
Have any news tips or story ideas about immigration and border issues? Reach the reporter at rafael.carranza@arizonarepublic.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RafaelCarranza.
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