Dana Hogle of The Arizona Law Firm sits down with 10-year NBA veteran Steven Hunter to talk youth mentorship, autism advocacy, and life beyond the buzzer.

(PRUnderground) August 5th, 2026

A 7-foot former Phoenix Suns center walks into a Mesa law firm. It sounds like the setup to a joke, but it's actually the setup to one of the best conversations The Arizona Law Firm has recorded yet. Steven Hunter -- the DePaul standout drafted 15th overall in 2001, who spent a decade in the NBA and helped push the 2005 Suns to the Western Conference Finals -- is the newest guest on the firm's podcast.

These days Hunter's court time looks a little different. He runs the Steven Hunter Life Skills & Basketball Academy, teaching Valley kids ages 5 to 18 that the lessons worth keeping from basketball have less to do with jump shots and more to do with showing up, working hard, and being a good teammate. He's also become one of Arizona's most visible autism advocates, work that started at home after his son Blaise was diagnosed at age three, and grew into the "Father's United for Kids with Autism" program.

"We're a criminal defense firm, which means we meet a lot of families at the hardest moment of their lives," said Dana Hogle, owner of The Arizona Law Firm. "Steven is doing the work on the front end -- giving kids structure, mentorship, and somebody in their corner before things ever go sideways. That's the kind of neighbor we want to hand a microphone to."

The episode covers Hunter's road from Chicago to the NBA, what he learned about resilience from parenting a child with autism, and why he chose to build his life's work in the East Valley instead of anywhere else. It's available now on The Arizona Law Firm's YouTube channel, along with the rest of the firm's guest series spotlighting Arizonans doing good work close to home.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube at The Arizona Firm, and reach The Arizona Law Firm at (480) 571-9827 or TheArizonaFirm.com for media inquiries or to suggest a future guest.