Sports superfan energy can be hereditary, like a surname or a genetic trait.
Kathy Philpot Stoner has immersed her family in Phoenix Suns fandom since the family moved to the Valley from Texas in the mid-1980s. Since a difficult 19-win season in 2018-19, she has rarely missed a game.
Stoner’s oldest daughter and Phoenix Mercury superfan Veronica Philpot is nicknamed “Tutu Girl” for always being one of the most noticeable fans inside Mortgage Matchup Center. Veronica is known for donning a tutu ballet skirt, glittery makeup, pink headband, purple-dyed hair and a Suns or Mercury player jersey at the teams’ games.
Like Veronica, Kathy is a longtime season ticketholder who usually wears a Suns or Mercury T-shirt or jersey, Mardi Gras-like bead necklace, pink-dyed highlights in her hair with occasional pigtails.
They frequently arrive 90 minutes before tip-off for the entire fan experience, witnessing Suns players’ individual warmups, standing adjacent to a tunnel where players sign autographs for fans.
Kathy spoke to The Arizona Republic about why she’s a recognizable Suns superfan.
Name: Kathy Philpot Stoner
Hometown/residence: El Paso, Texas/Phoenix, Arizona.
Team: Phoenix Suns
Years of fandom: 40
How it started: “I’ve always loved basketball. I follow college basketball. The town I grew up in is El Paso, Texas, and UTEP … and high school basketball. So it was just natural to fall onto the Suns and enjoy that excitement. … I always talk about the Suns at work, and my colleagues get sick of it.”
How it’s going: “I love Devin Booker. He’s my guy and I want to see his spark back. I want to see him leading a team and just getting back to the way he used to be. …
“The games are just fun and exciting. I love watching games in person. I used to have seats up in the wheelchair section, which is very comfortable. As I get down in the arena where it’s a little bit tighter, I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ but the closer I get, the more I love it.”
Most memorable moment as a fan of Suns (and why)?
“We painted my (late, physically disabled) husband’s red motorized scooter, purple and orange. It was for the playoffs and had done all kinds of stuff to make it special to show our fandom. It was during the 2021 NBA Finals.”
Most forgettable moment as a fan of Suns (and why)?
“I’ve been through it all. I’ve been a season ticketholder since the 19-win season (in 2018-19). I’ve been through a lot of it and I’ve been watching it grow. It’s been great. Coming down after the playoffs is a little sad because I felt like they would just keep going, but didn’t quite reach those heights as we did that year in the Finals.”