Jay Dieffenbach

azcentral sports

Suns television play-by-play voice Steve Albert announced his retirement on Tuesday, leaving a major void on the Suns' broadcast team.

Albert brought just the right tone of fun during a season in which the team benched some key pieces after the All-Star break and fell to a 24-58 mark, the third-worst in Suns history.

Albert leaves an award-winning 45-year broadcasting career, having called the Suns broadcasts on Fox Sports Arizona the past five seasons.

“We were very fortunate five years ago to bring in someone of Steve’s caliber and experience, and in the time since, his tireless preparation and infectious personality brought Suns fans watching on TV much closer to the action,” Suns President Jason Rowley said in a team statement. “While we will miss his superb talent and witty delivery, our Suns family congratulates Steve on an extraordinary career and we wish him nothing but the best in his retirement.”

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Albert, too, provided a statement on Tuesday saying, in part:

"After 45 years in sportscasting, including the past five years as television play-by-play announcer for the Phoenix Suns, I have decided to step away from the business. By doing this now while I’m relatively young and healthy, it gives me the time to pursue other interests and do things with family and friends that wouldn’t ordinarily be possible when you have an 82-game schedule that includes so much traveling and unusual hours. This was not a particularly easy decision because I still enjoy calling the games, the creativity involved with that, and the camaraderie. The major factor was the travel lifestyle."

Albert ended his statement in typical fashion: "I do know that I’ve always wanted to write a book. At least now, I’ll have time to read one.”

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More from the Suns' team release:

Albert joined the Suns in 2012 following an extensive television and radio career that spanned multiple sports. The accomplished broadcaster spent 13 years as the voice of the New Jersey Nets, five years as the television play-by-play announcer for the Golden State Warriors and a season with the New Orleans Hornets. Albert is also well known for his work as one of boxing’s top play-by-play announcers, having called some of the biggest fights in the history of the sport, including both Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson fights, during 24 years on the microphone for Showtime Championship Boxing.

Albert was also a presence on the New York sports landscape for decades, having done play-by-play for Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, pro football’s New York Jets and the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils.

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Albert began his broadcasting career while attending Kent State University, where he started as a part-time play-by-play announcer for the Springfield Kings of the American Hockey League. Albert received a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications from Kent State, and then began announcing games for the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association and hosting a pre-game show for the Cleveland Indians.

In 2007, Albert was inducted into the esteemed World Boxing Hall of Fame and also won the coveted Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism from the Boxing Writers Association of America. He was twice named Announcer of the Year by the International Boxing Federation.