NBA-ийн комиссарын албыг хашиж байсан Ж.Уолтер Кеннеди лигийг өргөжүүлж, үндэсний хэмжээний спортын байгууллага болгон хөгжүүлэхэд үнэтэй хувь нэмэр оруулжээ.
1963 оны есдүгээр сарын 1-нд Ж.Уолтер Кеннеди NBA-ийн тэргүүний албан тушаалд Морис Подолоффыг залгамжлан томилогдсон юм. Тухайн үед уг албан тушаалыг NBA-ийн ерөнхийлөгч гэж нэрлэдэг байсан бөгөөд Кеннеди нь лигийн түүхэн дэх хоёр дахь удирдах албан тушаалтан болсон байна. Тэрээр 1949 онд NBA байгуулагдсанаас хойш лигийг удирдаж ирсэн Подолоффоос ажлаа хүлээн авчээ.
Кеннедигийн удирдлага дор NBA лигийн түүхэнд байгаагүй өргөжин тэлэлтийн үе эхэлсэн юм. Тэрээр лигийн урт хугацааны тогтвортой байдлыг хангахын тулд Чикаго, Сиэтл, Сан Диего, Милуоки, Финикс, Буффало, Кливленд, Портланд, Хьюстон, Нью-Орлеан зэрэг томоохон хотуудад шинэ багуудыг нэмж байгуулах шаардлагатай гэж үзжээ. Түүнийг алба хашиж байх хугацаанд 1967 онд байгуулагдсан Америкийн сагсан бөмбөгийн холбоо (ABA) хэмээх өрсөлдөгч лиг гарч ирсэн нь томоохон сорилт болсон бөгөөд улмаар 1975 онд Кеннедиг албан тушаалаа орхисны дараа хоёр лиг нэгдсэн байна.
Кеннедигийн бүрэн эрхийн хугацаанд Билл Расселл, Уилт Чемберлен, Оскар Робертсон, Жерри Уэст, Элжин Бэйлор, Карим Абдул-Жаббар зэрэг домогт тоглогчид тоглож байв. Түүний оруулсан хувь нэмрийг хүндэтгэн NBA-аас нийгмийн сайн сайхны төлөө онцгой зүтгэл гаргасан хүмүүст олгодог жил тутмын шагналаа түүний нэрэмжит болгосон юм. Хэдийгээр түүний үед өнөөгийнх шиг асар их хэмжээний телевизийн гэрээ, дэлхий даяарх цар хүрээ байгаагүй ч Кеннеди лигийн ирээдүйн хөгжлийн суурийг амжилттай тавьсан билээ.
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On September 1, 1963, J. Walter Kennedy officially began his tenure as the head of the NBA, succeeding Maurice Podoloff and taking control of a league that was still decades away from becoming the global sports powerhouse it is today.
Kennedy had actually been named Podoloff’s successor earlier that year. At the time, the position was officially known as NBA president; the title was later changed to commissioner. Podoloff had led the league from its formative years, including the 1949 merger that created the NBA, making Kennedy only the second person to hold the league’s top executive position.
Kennedy inherited a relatively small professional league still fighting for national relevance. The 1963-64 season featured only nine franchises, with the Boston Celtics firmly established as basketball’s dominant team. That season also included significant franchise movement, as the Syracuse Nationals became the Philadelphia 76ers and the Chicago Zephyrs relocated to Baltimore.
Over the following decade, Kennedy would oversee one of the most important periods of expansion in NBA history.
The league added franchises in major markets across the United States, including Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Buffalo, Cleveland, Portland, Houston and New Orleans during his tenure. Kennedy strongly believed expansion was necessary for the league’s long-term health, helping move the NBA away from its relatively limited early footprint and toward something resembling a truly national competition.
His tenure was not without major challenges. Kennedy presided over the NBA during the emergence of the rival American Basketball Association in 1967, beginning nearly a decade of competition between the two leagues for players, television exposure and markets. The eventual NBA-ABA merger would come shortly after Kennedy left office in 1975.
He also governed during an extraordinary basketball era featuring Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and, later, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. When Kennedy arrived, Boston was in the middle of its historic championship dynasty; by the time his tenure ended, the league had expanded dramatically and professional basketball had developed a much broader national presence.
Kennedy’s influence is still reflected in the NBA today. The league’s annual citizenship award was named in his honor, recognizing individuals associated with the NBA who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to their communities.
His administration did not produce the enormous television contracts, global reach or commercial scale associated with later commissioners. Instead, Kennedy helped build much of the infrastructure that allowed those developments to become possible.
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