Tom and Tom Sitdown with Al McCoy to Talk Suns Ring of Honor Induction
After broadcasting Suns game for nearly five decades, Al McCoy will be inducted as the fifteenth member of the Suns Ring of Honor on March 3rd.
The 83-year-old is the longest tenured broadcaster in the NBA and has managed to only miss one game in his 45 years in the Valley.
“Shazam!”
— Al McCoy
“Earning a place in the Suns Ring of Honor is truly unbelievable,” McCoy said. “March 3rd will certainly be the highlight of my career.”
McCoy has already been inducted as a member of the Broadcasters Hall of Fame, as well as received the Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2007. The Suns also honored their legendary broadcaster by dedicating the Talking Stick Resort Arena pressroom as the Al McCoy Media Center.
He joined the Suns in the team’s fifth season and has made his voice known around the league with classic phrases like “Shazam!”, “Wham Bam Slam!” and “Zing go the strings!”
“He becomes that memory,” Head Coach Earl Watson said. “He becomes that voice when you go outside as a kid and you attempt to recreate everything you just saw. He’s the voice you use.”
Two NBA Finals, 27 playoff appearances, 45 years of Phoenix Suns basketball. McCoy became more than just a broadcaster; he became an icon.
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“His voice has impacted, narrated so many games,” Watson said. “So many great moments, so many sad moments, so many nervous moments that he’s forever imprinted in every Phoenix Suns fan around the world.”
The ceremony will take place during halftime of Friday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive an exclusive Al McCoy bobblehead to celebrate his induction.
The Suns Team Shop will offer an exclusive Al McCoy t-shirt and mini basketball. There will also be an interactive photo booth located outside the Team Shop where fans can pose for photos in front of a green screen featuring iconic moments from McCoy’s career.
The legendary broadcaster will join Alvan Adams, Charles Barkley, Tom Chambers, Jerry Colangelo, Walter Davis, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Connie Hawkins, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, John MacLeod, Steve Nash, Joe Proski, Dick Van Arsdale and Paul Westphal as those to receive the honor.
“It’s almost unbelievable to be included with this group of guys,” McCoy said. “That’s a pretty special group of people that are in the Suns Ring of Honor.”
Forty-five years in the business, but The Voice doesn’t plan to go away anytime soon.
“The two most important words in my vocabulary right now are keeping going, and that’s what I plan to do,” McCoy said.