The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2023

Ned Irish

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2023
Sport(s): Basketball Owner
Statistics: 2 NBA Championships (1970 & 1973)

Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Ned Irish was a newspaper man early in his career, but he left it in 1934 to promote basketball games at Madison Square Gardens. Despite it being the Great Depression, Irish was successful, and it taught him early that a basketball league could be successful in New York City.

In 1946, Irish was one of the 11 founders of the Basketball Association of America, with Irish owning the New York Knicks. The BAA merged with the National Basketball League in 1949 to form the National Basketball Association, and Irish remained the president until 1974. Irish was not a hands-on owner, preferring to stay on the marketing side, but he was their president when New York won the 1970 and 1973 NBA titles.

We are proud to nominate Ned Irish for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.