Spurling called his family and the next day was on a flight to Arizona.
One of the first Phoenix players he met was Larry Nance, the winner of the 1984 NBA Slam Dunk contest.
“He was in there goofing off before practice,” Spurling said. “He was doing a 360-degree windmill and stuff. I said to him, ‘Man I saw you on TV in the dunk contest and I just don’t believe it.’ He said ‘What are you talking about rookie?’ I said ‘That dunk on TV. I think it was just all smoke and mirrors.’ This guy, still in his warmups, jumps up and dunks two basketballs at once. He was 7-foot and had a 45-inch vertical leap. I was thinking, ‘Oh God, I have to guard this?’ “
Bill Martin from Georgetown was also in training camp with the Suns and provided another moment that Spurling remembers fondly.
“We used to have to run a mile and a half and Walter Davis always beat everybody,” Spurling said. “You had to run a certain time or you would be fined. Well, I got behind Alvin Adams, because they had said he was a good guy to get behind as he’d pace you and make you get your time and I did. Well, Billy Martin takes off and this guy ran a mile and a half in like 7:59. They gave him a thousand dollars for beating Walter Davis. It was hilarious.”
Spurling never appeared in a regular-season game with Phoenix, while he later spent time in training camp with the Chicago Bulls and had a lengthy stay in the Continental Basketball Association.