Do we like Ryan Dunn?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A clean record and some real community good, but a quiet public voice means we can't say much more than that.
Ryan Dunn is a Long Island kid who ended up at Virginia and was taken 28th in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. His calling card is defence: as a sophomore he averaged a team-high 6.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. The Suns bought his draft rights from Denver precisely because they rated that end of the floor.
On the scandal front, there's honestly nothing. We went looking for lawsuits, arrests and allegations tied to the Suns forward and the pieces we read had none. Search his name and you mostly get a late TV stunt performer of the same name, who has nothing to do with him.
The harm check comes back clean, with a caveat. We found no public statements from him on LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants or the planet, and no sign he's pushing conspiracy theories or backing anyone who does. Silence isn't a gold star, but it's not a red flag either, and the record shows no company-keeping problem.
As a young player he has leaned on a big name. Kevin Durant invited him to offseason workouts in Los Angeles, and Dunn's own description of the approach is to “Just be a sponge, soak up as much information as I can get.” That's a decent attitude from a rookie, and it's backed by his talk of wanting to adapt to whatever the league throws at him.
The good stuff is small but real. In December 2024 he and fellow rookie Oso Ighodaro helped about 20 kids fill Christmas shopping carts, paid for by the Suns and Mercury Foundation. In January 2026 he surprised students from a photography program with their own cameras before a game, which fits with his own interest in photography.
So where does that leave us? A young bloke with a clean sheet, a good work ethic and a habit of showing up for kids. He's not a campaigner, and we'd love to hear him say more, but there's nothing here to make you wince when he hits the court.