Al McCoy was a welcoming figure for new radio voices in Arizona and beyond

Al McCoy’s legacy was built on his kindness. In his profession, he became known for mentoring young broadcasters as they began their commentating careers, supporting and encouraging them from their first seasons on the job through their roles as colleagues.

As the sports world continues to mourn the loss of McCoy, the longest-tenured broadcaster in NBA history who died on Saturday, several colleagues and mentees shared similar stories about how he went out of the way to welcome them.

Phoenix Suns radio analyst Tim Kempton recalled how the legendary Suns play-by-play announcer eased his nerves during his first broadcast for the team.

McCoy would raise his finger and point to Kempton, a former NBA player, to signal that it was his turn to talk during a segment.

“It was very comforting to me at the time because I was brand new to radio broadcasting,” Kempton said when he joined Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Monday.

As Kempton prepared to enter his first year with the team, McCoy was already in his 30th. The two ended up being broadcast partners for 21 years until McCoy retired in 2023.

“He was everyone’s friend,” Kempton said.

Some of Kempton’s favorite McCoy memories come from their time on the road together when he and McCoy would visit the local restaurants and bars of whichever city the Suns were playing in.

“Al would take me to one of his old haunts,” Kempton said. “They’d all have a piano in them.”

McCoy had played as a jazz pianist before getting into broadcasting. Kempton recalled McCoy “playing a couple of tunes” before the two settled down to grab dinner and a drink. The staff would usually greet McCoy as if he were a regular.

“He left a mark and an impression that won’t be touched,” Kevin Ray, the television play-by-play announcer for the Suns, said when he joined Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Monday.

In July 1989, Ray, who went to college at Pittsburg State in Kansas, moved to Flagstaff to pursue his sports broadcasting career. He landed a job as the sports director for Flagstaff’s KVNA-FM.

At that time, the Suns were training at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

“Al reached out to welcome me to the great state of Arizona,” Ray recalled.

The two bonded over their midwestern roots. Ray began attending Suns games and listening to McCoy call plays.

“That’s when I really saw the magic this man had and that he possessed,” Ray said.

Ray, who has also been a play-by-play voice for the Dallas Cowboys, joined the Suns in 2003 as the team’s pregame and postgame telecast host. In 2017, the Suns promoted Ray from sideline reporter to television play-by-play announcer.

McCoy went from a mentor to a colleague for Ray. He noted that being McCoy’s teammate was one of the pinnacles of his career.

“He was willing to lift me up and provide a roadmap for me,” Ray said.

Mike Breen, the announcer for the New York Knicks and lead voice for the NBA on ESPN, recalled his first game in Phoenix when McCoy walked up to the East Coast commentator and introduced himself.

"For a man who wasn't very tall, he was a giant of a man. In our business, he was the dean of all NBA broadcasters."

– ESPN and Knicks voice Mike Breen spoke to @BurnsAndGambo on the late Al McCoy

Full segment: https://t.co/ARyu6sIXpe pic.twitter.com/mzb1wL2RVR

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 24, 2024

“For a man who wasn’t very tall, he was a giant of a man. In our business, he was the dean of NBA broadcasters,” Breen told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Monday.

“He already had this reputation and this aura as one of the giants of this industry, yet he would already carry himself as one of the guys,” he added. “When I first started, I didn’t know anybody. You would go into arenas, and he would be the one to approach you. … He came over to introduce himself to me. And I knew exactly who he was.”

Al McCoy touched play-by-play broadcasters outside of his sport

McCoy’s generosity and talents spanned beyond the NBA.

Dave Pasch, an NBA broadcaster for ESPN and the Arizona Cardinals’ radio play-by-play voice, paid homage to McCoy on Sunday during the Cardinals’ home game against the Detroit Lions.

Pasch used McCoy’s iconic phrase “shazam!” as Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. scored a touchdown during the first quarter.

“It was great to be able to honor him,” Pasch said when he joined Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Tuesday morning.

Pasch knew who McCoy was even before he had connections to the Valley.

In 2002, as Pasch prepared to move to the desert for his new role as the Cardinals’ play-by-play announcer, sports commentator Bob Costas told Pasch that he needed to meet McCoy as soon as he arrived in Arizona.

“He was as kind and thoughtful and gracious as everyone said he was,” Pasch recalled.

Kempton praised his former broadcast partner’s longevity and ability to maintain a positive energy throughout every game. He added that the legacy McCoy left behind will live on for generations to come.

“You thought he would go on forever,” Kempton said. “It seemed like he would.”