Alton Byrd
| Long Island Nets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Vice President of Business Operations |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
March 11, 1958 San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | American / British |
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, California) |
| College | Columbia (1976–1979) |
| NBA draft | 1979 / Round: 10 / Pick: 186th overall |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Playing career | 1979–1997 |
| Career history | |
| 1979–1982 | Crystal Palace |
| 1983–1987 | Murray International |
| 1987–1978 | Manchester Eagles |
| 1988–1989 | Glasgow Rangers |
| 1990–1992 | Kingston Kings |
| 1992–1994 | Guildford Kings |
| 1994–1997 | Crystal Palace |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Joseph Alton Byrd (born March 11, 1958 in San Francisco, California) is an American basketball player who also holds British citizenship. He is the Vice President of Business Operations for the Long Island Nets.
He grew up in the San Francisco area, where he was a high school basketball star. He continued to be a basketball star at Columbia University, where he was one of the best point guards in the country in spite of his small stature. His height was usually officially listed as 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m). He holds the school records for career assists (526) and assists in a single season (210).
After receiving his bachelor's degree from Columbia College in 1979, he attended the Boston Celtics rookie camp, along with a similarly named fellow draftee, Larry Bird. Larry Bird made the team. Alton Byrd, suffering with a foot injury, did not, so he accepted a job offer in London, England. It seemed that his basketball career was over.
Professional basketball was still in its infancy in Britain when he began playing ball with Crystal Palace of the British league just for the exercise and the fun of it. However, he soon blossomed into a major star: thanks to his exciting style of play and his compelling personality, he became the most famous basketball player in Britain. During his rookie season, he led Palace to a 50–5 record. He later started for teams in Glasgow, Manchester, Guildford and Kingston.[1] In 1984 he became a British citizen and made his debut for England.[2]
Off the court, he pursued a variety of broadcasting and business ventures, including a weekly show on BBC Radio 5 Live dedicated to American sports. From 1997 to 1998, he was the general manager of the London Monarchs of NFL Europe, while there he guided the team to rebrand to London Monarchs.[3] In 1999, he returned to the United States to be a Vice President of the Sacramento Kings. He then founded a management consulting company, Clear Focus Communications. In September 2013, the Atlanta Dream hired him as the Chief Revenue Officer.[4] On March 24, 2016, the Brooklyn Nets hired Alton Byrd as the Vice President of Business Operations.[5]
References
- "From Columbia to Britain's "Mr Basketball" to the NBA". February 2001. Archived from the original on 2007-04-09. Retrieved 2011-11-13.