Nationality American / British Role Basketball Player Listed height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Height 1.73 m | College Columbia (1976–1979) Education Columbia University Name Alton Byrd Position Point guard | |
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High school Archbishop Riordan
(San Francisco, California) NBA draft 1979 / Round: 10 / Pick: 186th overall | ||
Interview: Alton Byrd '79CC with Carly Nevis
Joseph Alton Byrd (born 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.
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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. He subsequently took up a job in London.
Professional basketball was still in its infancy in Britain when he began playing basketball with Crystal Palace of the British league. During his rookie season, he led Palace to a 50–5 record. He later started for teams in Glasgow, Manchester, Guildford and Kingston. In 1984 he became a British citizen and made his debut for England.
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. 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. On March 24, 2016, the Brooklyn Nets hired Alton Byrd as the Vice President of Business Operations.