Al McCoy can enjoy retirement. The Phoenix Suns were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs Thursday night, bringing an end to their 2022-23 season and to McCoy’s career as the voice of the team on the radio.
Following the Suns’ loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series, McCoy took a moment before the postgame show to acknowledge that it would indeed be his last game on the radio broadcast.
“I think our listeners know that this is my final broadcast for the Phenix Suns after 51 amazing years, and I just want to say a couple of things,” he started.
He started by thanking his broadcast colleagues Jon Bloom and Tim Kempton, delivering messages of support to each as they continue their broadcasting careers without him. Al McCoy also shouted out Walt Ellis, who has been the longtime technical director of the Suns’ radio broadcast.
Some fans may have been surprised by the next group McCoy shouted out.
“I want to say something special to a special group of people,” he said. “Through the years, I’ve become friends with so many sightless people. And you can’t understand what radio and sports radio broadcasting means to these folks. And I’ve gotten to know so many sightless people that depend on our radio broadcasts, and I’ve known people that are in hospitals and in veterans hospitals and shut ins. And I just want to thank all of those folks that depend on radio for letting me be a part of their lives.”
McCoy announced earlier this year that it would be his last season with the Phoenix Suns. Arizona Sports 98.7’s Dan Bickley had hoped that the team could send McCoy out with a title. Unfortunately, that will not be the case.
Al McCoy did not let that ruin the evening.
“I just want to say thank you for 51 wonderful years and allowing me to bring the story of the Suns in the NBA to you.”
