| Chattanooga FC | |
|---|---|
| Position | Chief Executive Officer |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 11, 1957 San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | American / British |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, California) |
| College | Columbia (1976–1979) |
| NBA draft | 1979: 10th round, 186th overall pick |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Playing career | 1979–1997 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Career history | |
| 1979–1982 | Crystal Palace |
| 1983–1987 | Murray International |
| 1987–1988 | Manchester United |
| 1989–1992 | Kingston Kings |
| 1992–1994 | Guildford Kings |
| 1994–1997 | Crystal Palace |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Joseph Alton Byrd (born November 3, 1957) is an American-British former professional basketball player who is the Chief Executive Officer of Chattanooga FC of the National Independent Soccer Association.
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, but, suffering with a foot injury, he did not get a contract and joined Crystal Palace of the British Basketball League. During his rookie season, he led Palace to a 50–5 record. He later started for teams in Edinburgh, 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 1999, he was the general manager of the London Monarchs of NFL Europe, while there he guided the team to rebrand as the England Monarchs, before ultimately folding after a 1998 season that ended with a 3–7 record, after three straight 4–6 tallies. They were replaced by the Berlin Thunder in 1999.[3]
In 1999, he returned to the United States to be a Vice President of Strategic Alliances for the Sacramento Kings. In 2002,He then founded a management consulting company, Clear Focus Consulting. 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]
Byrd continued with the Nets organization through July 2023 as the Senior Vice President-Growth Properties/Community Relations for BSE Global Long Island Nets of the NBA G League and Nets Gaming of NBA 2K League.
On July 21, 2023, Byrd was named the Chief Executive Officer of Chattanooga FC.[6]