Paul Coro

The Republic | azcentral.com

Lon Babby took a step back from Suns basketball operations last summer and now will step all the way out.

Babby is ending his association with the Suns at the end of this week. He had spent the past season as a part-time senior adviser after having a five-year run as Suns president of basketball operations.

“I’m very appreciative for the opportunity to come to Phoenix, be part of a wonderful community and see and learn a lot of things that have been very gratifying,” Babby said. “I look forward to staying involved here in the community and being more involved with my family. I turned 65 in February and consider myself a full-fledged snowbird.”

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Babby joined the Suns in 2010 in a unique front-office hierarchy, using his accomplished background as a lawyer and player agent to head basketball operations in anticipation of a 2011 NBA collective bargaining agreement. Babby had represented Grant Hill, Tim Duncan, Ray Allen and others. Some other teams followed the model, including Golden State with former agent Bob Myers as general manager.

Babby ran Suns basketball operations from 2010-15 with Lance Blanks as general manager for the first three seasons, a stretch in which Babby took on more responsibility than initially planned. The plan for division of roles took hold when Ryan McDonough came aboard as GM in 2013. Last summer, McDonough assumed the lead of basketball operations and credited Babby for his expertise and assistance in a part-time role during the season.

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The Suns have not made the playoffs since 2010, the NBA’s third-longest active streak (to Minnesota and Sacramento) and the Suns’ longest one. The Suns finished a game behind the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff seeds in 2012 and 2014.

With less Suns responsibility last season, Babby became more involved in civic roles, such as being on the Phoenix Symphony’s board of directors, the Positive Coaching Alliance’s board of trustees and joining the Be A Leader Foundation to mentor high school students.

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He will continue those roles while maintaining a Valley home with his wife, Ellen, but will have more time to spend with his grandsons, Josh and Dylan, and to advise his son, Ken, who owns two Double-A baseball teams – Akron RubberDucks and Jacksonville Suns.

He also plans to attend Suns games with season tickets and be available for counsel.

Reach Paul Coro atpaul.coro@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-2470. Follow him atwww.twitter.com/paulcoro.

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