Phoenix Suns (1988–1995) The Suns selected Majerle with the 14th pick of the
1988 NBA draft, which the Suns acquired (along with
Kevin Johnson) in a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers for
Larry Nance. During the draft, he was promptly booed when his name was announced over the public address system. Suns coach
Cotton Fitzsimmons publicly chastised the Suns fans and told them "you'll be sorry you ever booed this young man". In his rookie season Majerle played in 54 games and started in 5, averaging 8.6 points as a bench player. The Suns won 55 games and made the playoffs, and Majerle increased his scoring average to 14.3 points a game as Phoenix advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the defending champion
Los Angeles Lakers. The young Majerle continued to be used as a backup for the next two seasons and became popular for his impressive jumping ability and "thunderous"
slam dunk that would lead to his nickname "Thunder Dan". During the
1989–90 season, he started in 23 games and increased his scoring average to 11 points a game as the Suns again advanced to the Western Conference Finals where this time they were eliminated by the
Portland Trail Blazers. Despite another successful season for Majerle and the Suns in the
1990–91 season, they fell in the first round of the playoffs to the
Utah Jazz. Majerle had become an effective three-point shooter and defensive specialist and was named to the 1990–91 NBA All-Defensive Second team at the conclusion of the season. The 1992 season featured more improvement for Majerle, who had become an even more effective three-point shooter and defensive specialist. Despite starting in just 15 of the 82 games he played in, Majerle was selected to play in the
1992 NBA All-Star Game. The Suns again made the playoffs but lost in the conference semifinals to Portland. In the offseason, Phoenix managed to pull off a major step towards an NBA title, as they acquired superstar forward
Charles Barkley in a trade with the
Philadelphia 76ers.
1993: Trip to the Finals The Suns had improved significantly with the addition of Barkley, while the trade itself which featured the departure of guard
Jeff Hornacek meant that Majerle now served as the team's starting shooting guard. The result was a 62-win season for Phoenix, with Barkley winning the Most Valuable Player Award and Majerle finishing second on the team in scoring while being named to his second NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Majerle also finished first in the NBA in three-point field goals made and attempted, and scored 18 points in the
1993 NBA All-Star Game. The Suns entered the playoffs as the number 1 seed in the Western Conference, and defeated the Lakers, the
San Antonio Spurs and the
Seattle SuperSonics to reach the
NBA Finals with Majerle averaging 15 points in the playoffs and posting big games such as a 34-point performance in the 5th game against Seattle. In the Finals, the Suns faced the defending champion
Chicago Bulls led by
Michael Jordan and
Scottie Pippen. Despite having home court advantage the Suns could not beat the 2-time champions, who won in 6 games to win three championships in a row. Majerle performed well in the Suns win in game 3, scoring 28 points in the win in Chicago.
Last years in Phoenix Majerle would again lead the league in three-point field goals and attempts in the
1993–94 season, as the Suns won 56 games and made the playoffs before losing to the eventual champion
Houston Rockets in a 7-game semifinal series. He would then go on to play for Team USA and win in the World Championships in Canada. He would earn another selection to the All-Star game in the following season, scoring 10 points in the
1995 NBA All-Star Game which was held in Phoenix. Despite this, Majerle started in 46 games, playing small forward often as the team now featured
Wesley Person at shooting guard and veteran
A.C. Green at forward. The Suns again lost in the semifinals to Houston in 7 games, and Majerle was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the offseason.
Cleveland Cavaliers (1995–1996) In Cleveland, Majerle was used as a reserve at small forward, starting in 15 of the 82 games behind
Chris Mills and averaging 10.6 points a game. The Cavaliers won 47 games before losing to the
New York Knicks in a 3-game sweep in the first round, with Majerle increasing his scoring to 16.7 (second on the team) during the series. In the offseason the Cavaliers released Majerle, and he would go on to sign with the
Miami Heat.
Miami Heat (1996–2001) The Heat were a team with a bright future, as they featured all-stars
Alonzo Mourning and
Tim Hardaway, and were coached by
Pat Riley. Injuries limited Majerle to 36 games during the
1996–97 season, as the Heat managed to win a franchise-best 61 games and the Atlantic Division. During the regular season, on December 7, 1996, against the Chicago Bulls, Majerle made a three-pointer with one second remaining to win the game 83–80. In the playoffs, the veteran Majerle was in healthy shape, and the Heat beat the up-and-coming
Orlando Magic in the first round before facing the Knicks in a grueling 7-game series in which Majerle scored 18 points in the sixth game. The Heat would eventually fall to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals in 5 games. Majerle would again play as the team's backup small forward in the
1997–98 season, averaging 7 points a game as one of the team's main three-point threats, and Miami would post another winning season before losing to New York in the first round of the playoffs. The
1998–99 season would be shortened to 50 games as a result of a league lockout, and with teammate
Voshon Lenard hurt for much of the season, Majerle stepped in to start in 48 games. Miami won another Atlantic Division title, but again lost to New York in 5 games in the first round. The team continued to use Majerle as a starter during the
1999–2000 season, as he started in 69 of 82 games and again averaged 7 points during the season. In the playoffs, Miami defeated the
Detroit Pistons in the first round before facing the Knicks in another 7-game series in which New York again prevailed. Majerle averaged 9 points in the playoffs and led the team with 20 three-point field goals. In the 2000 offseason it was revealed that Alonzo Mourning would not play as a result of a kidney disease, and the
2000–01 season would feature new acquisitions such as
Eddie Jones and
Anthony Mason, and Majerle would serve as a reserve. The Heat would lose in the first round of the playoffs in a sweep to the
Charlotte Hornets, and in the offseason Majerle would sign a deal returning to his original team in Phoenix.
Return to Phoenix (2001–2002) In his return to the Suns, Majerle received much praise and applause from the hometown Suns fans, playing in 65 games and leading the team in three-point field goals made with 79. His NBA career finished on April 17, 2002, when he officially retired as a member of his original team. ==NBA career statistics==