PHOENIX — Jon Bloom, the play-by-play announcer for the Phoenix Suns, is opening up about what it’s like to take over for the legendary Al McCoy and inviting the community onto the court for a special event.
Following the act of the longest-running play-by-play broadcaster for a single NBA franchise, isn't necessarily an easy position to be in, but his successor thinks less about filling the shoes of a Hall of Famer and instead about sharing what McCoy taught him on a near-nightly basis.
”I’m doing the best I can to paint the pictures for those who don’t have them,” said Bloom.
McCoy, the longtime voice of the Suns, signed off after a second-round playoff exit for the Suns last season, thanking his longtime listeners.
Long before Bloom got behind the mic, he was just a boy who loved sports and collected cards.
According to the data research group, Gitnux, the value of sports card sales on eBay surpassed $870 million during the pandemic. Pokemon cards saw a more than 570% increase in sales on eBay.
Professional Sports Authenticator, or PSA, helped grade more than five million cards in 2020.
Their ten-point grading scale looks, in part, at quality and condition to ultimately help a buyer determine value.
”The edges are not perfectly centered, so there’s no way that’s a nine or a ten,” said Bloom, showing off one of his baseball cards.
On Thursday, March 21, starting at 12 p.m., Bloom invites card collectors to the Footprint Center hardwood to not only shoot around on the hardwood for free but have a chance to get their most valuable cards graded by PSA.
Five fans will also be chosen to win a pair of tickets to Thursday night’s game to watch from a suite.
Learn more about the event and what to do beforehand here.
Join me this Thursday from 12-3 at the Court Of Dreams card grading event from @PSAcard & @suns. Submit your sports & Pokemon trading cards & shoot around on the floor at Footprint Ctr. 5 ppl will be selected to win a pair of Suns/Hawks tix. Register at https://t.co/9A4YuXyMAV
— Jon Bloom (@JonBloom) March 19, 2024
”I used to joke with my parents like, 'this is going to put me through college.' That never happened,” said Bloom with a smile on his face.
The 40 years of cards Bloom has been holding on to could cost him a pretty penny to get each one graded, so he’ll bring a select few and hope for a grade good enough to help determine value.
Then, he hopes to turn his boyhood nostalgia into something good through a charitable donation.
”I would love to put my cards to work. That’s always been in the back of my mind when I’m eventually going to sell my collection,” he said.
