Is Guy Fieri at the Suns game?

Guy Fieri, the spiky-haired chef with a bevy of shows on the Food Network, became a familiar face in the crowd during the Phoenix Suns’ run to the NBA Finals.

He’s hoping he’ll be one again during this year’s playoffs.

During the 2021 playoffs Fieri rewarded his son, Ryder, with playoff tickets for having made the JV basketball team as a freshman.

The Suns had the best record in the NBA during the regular season, going 64-18 and setting a franchise record for wins.

Fieri and his son noticed.

“How could we not be rooting for the Suns with the season they are having,” Fieri said through a Food Network spokesperson. “Ryder and I are both big NBA fans in general, so to see a team play like this and beat their own franchise record is pretty cool.”

Fieri is opening Guy's DTPHX Kitchen + Bar at Chase Field

Asked what makes them Suns fans in particular, Fieri said, “The Suns have never won a championship and that’s something we’d both really like to see happen. And if we can head to Arizona for some awesome weather and to catch a game again, it’s all the better.”

The weather’s not so awesome in June, if the Suns are still playing then, but you get the idea. The Fieris haven’t made it to a playoff game yet, but Guy Fieri said they are planning to. And it’s not all personal. It’s also business.

“I’ve got a new restaurant, Guy’s DTPHX Kitchen + Bar, opening up at Chase Field next month,” Fieri said, “so yes, I’m hoping to be in town.”

As for the Suns’ chances, Fieri likes them, although this interview took place before Devin Booker injured his hamstring.

“There are some good teams out there right now but I’ll tell ya, it looks to me like they’ve got as good a shot as anyone!”

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Guy Fieri, the spike-haired celebrity chef who appears on the Food Network with seeming near-ubiquity, has also been seen often at Phoenix Suns Arena during the team’s playoff run to the 2021 NBA Finals.

Sounds like he’s a Suns fan.

Sort of. Really, it’s his son Ryder who’s the big hoops fan. But Guy sounds happy to go along for the ride.

“Listen, my son Ryder is the biggest basketball fan on the planet,” Fieri said Friday through a Food Network spokeswoman. “He has worked his butt off in school, and as a high school freshman, being pulled up to his JV squad.”

That led to a reward.

Why Guy Fieri and his son, Ryder, have been at Phoenix Suns Arena

“While our family was all up at our lake house (in northern California), I said if the Suns make the playoffs, we would go to a game. Well, the Suns made the playoffs, so Ryder and I left the lake and made our way to Arizona.”

He makes it sound like they went by covered wagon or something, but Fieri definitely knows the way. He owns several restaurants in the Phoenix area, and he’s often featured Valley restaurants in his shows.

“Game 1 was amazing,” Fieri said. “The team and all of the longtime Suns fans really showed up. But most importantly, I was able to be there with Ryder.”

They weren’t done yet.

Tune in:How to watch or stream the Suns vs. Bucks in the NBA Finals

'The team and fans basically made me dad of the year'

“A buddy of mine offered us tickets to Game 2, so we stayed around and again, the team and the fans basically made me dad of the year.”

Fieri and his son are not traveling to Milwaukee for Games 3 and 4, “but we will be cheering the Suns on with the rest of our family from the lake.”

Sounds nice. And if there’s a game 5 in Phoenix? It’s unclear, but Fieri does have that dad-of-the-year mantle to uphold.

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