Al McCoy, the legendary broadcaster for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns whose career spanned six decades, has died at age 91, the team announced.
McCoy “passed away peacefully” on Saturday, the Suns said in a news release. No cause of death was disclosed.
Widely known as the “voice of the Suns” and the “dean of NBA broadcasters,” McCoy served 51 seasons as the Suns’ radio play-by-play announcer from Sept. 29, 1972 to his last game on May 11, 2023. He is the longest tenured team broadcaster in NBA history.
“His voice, his passion and his joy were legendary,” the Suns wrote in a post to X. “From Dick Van Arsdale to Devin Booker – Al’s voice illuminated the memorable moments in Suns history, bringing generations of Suns fans together along the way. He will forever be the greatest soundtrack in Phoenix Suns history.”
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McCoy called all three of franchise’s NBA Finals appearances in 1976, 1993 and 2021. He was known for catch phrases such as “Shazam!,” “Zing go the strings” and “heartbreak hotel,” and became the first play-by-play announcer inducted into the Arizona Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004.
In 2007, he was honored by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame with the Curt Gowdy Media Award, which recognizes “members of the electronic and print media for outstanding contributions to basketball.” In 2009, McCoy was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.
McCoy was inducted as the 15th member of the Suns Ring of Honor in 2017.
“This is a sad day for the Suns and the Suns family,” former Suns star and Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said in a statement. “Al McCoy represented everything that is great about Phoenix, the Phoenix Suns and people who love basketball. I was blessed and honored to work with Al and I’m gonna miss him.”
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