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.
