Al McCoy called Charles Barkley and Devin Booker before he died

Al McCoy was the voice of the Phoenix Suns for 51 years, but he lived and breathed Suns basketball until his death last month.

Do you need more evidence than this? Before he died in September, McCoy made sure to call two Suns legends to let them know how much they meant to him, according to one of them, Charles Barkley.

“I recently got a call from (former Suns player and current analyst) Eddie Johnson and he said Al McCoy wanted to talk to me before he died,” Barkley continued Bickley & Marotta of Arizona Sports. “Man, I’m swollen. (Eddie) said…he just wants to talk to two people and say goodbye to them. It was me and Devin Booker.

“Man, I'm telling you… it wasn't a long conversation and he thanked me and I said, 'No, man, thank you.' Getting a phone call saying he wanted to talk to you and say goodbye was one of the most amazing moments of my life. And I’ll never forget it.”

Al McCoy made sure to call two Suns legends before his death: Charles Barkley and Devin Booker.

Barkley told @Bickley_Marotta that it meant a lot to him to receive that call. pic.twitter.com/FAO1VNFOQi

– Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 23, 2024

So if there's any confusion about which Suns McCoy viewed as the icons of the franchise, then so be it.

Al McCoy saw Charles Barkley and Devin Booker as icons of the Phoenix Suns for good reason

Barkley, of course, led Phoenix to the 1993 NBA Finals in his MVP season after landing in Phoenix via a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. He played for the Suns from 1992 to 1996 but still calls the Valley home.

Since his playing days, Barkley and McCoy's paths have crossed again and again. And Phoenix also remains deep in his heart.

“When I leave Phoenix, they're going to cremate my fat (expletive),” Barkley joked before getting into his McCoy story. “My (expletive) is so big that I'm like, I want some ashes in Alabama, I want some ashes in Phoenix and I want the rest in a casino in Las Vegas. “We just have to choose a casino.”

Booker, the Suns' 2015 first-round pick, begins his 10th season in the NBA on Wednesday night.

Like Barkley, he also led the Suns to an NBA Finals appearance (2021) and is quickly climbing the franchise's record lists as a four-time NBA All-Star.

For Barkley, it said a lot that McCoy saw him in the same light as Booker.

Personally, it meant the world to Barkley when he received the call from McCoy before the legend's death.

“When I hung up the phone, I actually had tears in my eyes because it was so special to me,” Barkley said. “Because like I said, I only played in Phoenix for four years. …but the fact that he wanted to say goodbye to me meant the world to me.

“I don’t know Devin that well. He's a great player, he must be a great boy. But man, when I got that call, it meant the world to me. I just want to say thank you to Al and his family.”

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