Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia revealed today at the team’s media day that the Suns will wear a special jersey band to honor Al McCoy this season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The band, donned by the players today, is a black stripe that says “AL” on it.
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
McCoy peacefully passed away at the age of 91 earlier this month after being the “Voice of the Suns” for 51 years.
“(Al was) a legend here in Phoenix, 51 years with the organization,” Ishbia said in his opening remarks. “I got a chance to know him a little bit and spend some time with him. Just a great, great person and great representation of our organization, and so obviously, he’ll be missed.
“We are going to have a band on our jerseys this year that says ‘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 … I’m sad we couldn’t bring him a championship while he was alive, and hopefully we’ll get one with him on our jersey, and I know who he’ll be watching from above. He’ll be missed, and his family is still part of our family here.”
Mat Ishbia says the #Suns will have a band on their jerseys that says "AL" to remember Al McCoy
— Burn City Suns Talk ????️ (@BurnCitySuns) September 30, 2024
McCoy introduced new Suns coach Mike Budenholzer at his introductory press conference back in May. Budenholzer, a native of Holbrook, Arizona, grew up listening to McCoy.
“I think everybody could see and know the special place he has in probably the whole state’s heart, all basketball fans’ heart, the Suns’ heart, my heart,” Budenholzer said “To honor him, I think is important to everybody, including me.
“What an incredible career, what an incredible life, an incredible man. Feel fortunate to have known him just a little bit. Hopefully the way we play, the way we represent ourselves, would be something that Al would be proud of, so we’ll be proud to wear the patch.”
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) May 17, 2024
Devin Booker was very emotional about the passing of McCoy, as the two had a very tight bond from the time Booker was drafted in 2015 to McCoy’s retirement in 2023.
“Al is the historian of this franchise,” Booker said. “He was here from Day 1, and somebody that I grew super close to over time, somebody that I view as a really good friend of mine, and obviously tough for all of us. He’s embedded in this culture, in this city, forever. It’s like losing a family member for a lot of us.”
Wearing the patch has a significant meaning for Booker.
“It means something to me, means a lot to me,” Booker said. “I heard rumblings of getting ‘Shazam’ on there, I think that would have been iconic. I think it’s my job to further communicate to the guys that haven’t been here how important this patch is and how much it means to the city, and we’re going to wear it with great honor.”
#Suns star Devin Booker said the passing of Al McCoy was “like losing a family member for a lot of us” and talked about the jersey patch the Suns will have to honor him. pic.twitter.com/rEc6WiHAxH
— Burn City Suns Talk ????️ (@BurnCitySuns) September 30, 2024
The Suns will wear their new jerseys featuring the band in their first preseason game on Oct. 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Legendary Suns play-by-play announcer Al McCoy passes away at age 91
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
