The Blur is back for a third stint in the Valley.
The Phoenix Suns announced the signing of veteran guard Leandro Barbosa, who returned from his native Brazil, where he was preparing for the Rio Olympics, to be re-introduced by the team on Tuesday.
"Phoenix will always be my home," said the man known as the Brazilian Blur for his quickness on the court. "Everything started here, my whole career. There's a lot of new faces here, but I'm very happy to be back."
All smiles for @TheBlurBarbosa today. #BeepBeep #WeArePHX
? » https://t.co/iU5NPTemsL pic.twitter.com/ki3Q5Ph1OP
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 20, 2016
"There's a lot of new faces here, but I'm very happy to be back." #BeepBeep
Full ?» » https://t.co/LYRrqa57zdhttps://t.co/f3h2DHb19s
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 19, 2016
Barbosa played eight of his 13 seasons with the Suns. He spent his first seven NBA seasons with Phoenix and returned for the 2013-14 season. He played the past two seasons for Golden State, helping the Warriors win the NBA title in 2014-15.
Barbosa said he'll use his experience playing on a championship team to guide the young players on the Suns' roster.
"The group we had over there in Golden State was unbelievable. Everybody was together. Everybody was doing stuff together. I think it starts from there," he said.
"I'm looking forward to helping the team, to helping the young guys, giving my experience like I learned when I was young. I don't think it'll be a tough situation for me to get along with the players. I'm easy going, so hopefully we do a good job on that."
The agreement with Barbosa had been widely reported on July 7. He signed a two-year, $8 million contract. Only $500,000 of the $4 million in the second year of the deal is guaranteed.
Barbosa, selected by San Antonio as the 28th overall pick in 2003, was traded to Phoenix on draft night.
"I love Arizona. The fans, the organization and stuff," he said. "I'm very happy to be back and looking forward to doing a good job and bring the fans up again."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
