| Chattanooga FC | |
|---|---|
| Title | Chief executive officer |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1957-03-11)March 11, 1957 (age 68) |
| 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 |
| Drafted by | 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 | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Joseph Alton Byrd (born November 3, 1957) is an American-British former professionalbasketball player who is the former chief executive officer ofChattanooga FC of theMLS Next Pro.
He grew up in the San Francisco area, where he was ahigh school basketball star. He continued to be a basketball star atColumbia University, where he was one of the bestpoint 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 careerassists (526) and assists in a single season (210).
After receiving his bachelor's degree fromColumbia College in 1979, he attended theBoston Celtics rookie camp, but, suffering with a foot injury, he did not get a contract and joinedCrystal Palace of theBritish 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 forEngland.[2]
Off the court, he pursued a variety of broadcasting and business ventures, including a weekly show onBBC Radio 5 Live dedicated to American sports. From 1997 to 1999, he was the general manager of theLondon Monarchs ofNFL Europe, while there he guided the team to rebrand as theEngland Monarchs, before ultimately transitioning the team to Berlin after a 1998 season that ended with a 3–7 record, after three straight 4–6 tallies.[3]
In 1999, he returned to the United States to be a vice president of strategic alliances for theSacramento Kings. In 2002, he then founded a management consulting company, Clear Focus Consulting. In September 2013, theAtlanta Dream hired him as the chief revenue officer.[4] On March 24, 2016, theBrooklyn 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 GlobalLong Island Nets of theNBA G League and Nets Gaming of NBA 2K League.
Byrd was the chief executive officer ofChattanooga FC from July 2023 to December 2024.[6]