Suns jersey band will honor the late Al McCoy in 2024-25

Al McCoy will be front and center for the Phoenix Suns in 2024-25, with the basketball team set to wear a jersey band bearing his name for the season.

Owner Mat Ishbia announced Monday at the team’s media day that Phoenix will wear the “Al” jersey band in honor of the team’s late play-by-play voice.

Ishbia posted a picture of the jersey band after making the announcement.

Our team is proud to honor Al McCoy and the huge impact he made on the @Suns organization, our fans, and the NBA across the board. This season, our players will wear the “AL” jersey band each game as a reminder of his legacy. pic.twitter.com/D7stTc7xHW

— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) September 30, 2024

“I got a chance to know him a little bit, spent some time with him,” Ishbia told reporters. “A great, great person, great representation of our organization. We are going to have a band on our jerseys this year that say ‘Al’ on it, so that will be out to commemorate his legacy a little bit so we can always remember and think about him for the whole season.

“Sad we couldn’t bring him a championship while he was alive … Hopefully we’ll get one with him on our jersey and I know he’ll be watching from above. He’ll be missed and his family is obviously part of our family here.”

McCoy, who spent 51 years as the voice of the Phoenix Suns, died on Sept. 21. He was 91 years old.

McCoy called his final game for the Suns on May 11, 2023.

He took over the reins in 1972, marking the longest stretch for a broadcaster with a single team in NBA history.

McCoy will always be remembered for his “shazam!” call whenever the Suns hit a three-pointer. His long list of McCoy-isms included “oh, brother!” in times of turmoil or confusion, “wham bam slam!” whenever a Suns player dunked the ball, plus “zing go the strings!” and “twine time!” when a player swished a jumper.