Brian McIntyre to Receive HoF Honor

This breaking news from the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield is quite welcome news considering the terrible devastation experienced by the birthplace of basketball and many of the surrounding towns in the Pioneer Valley region...

A very special note of congratulations to the one and only Brian McIntyre:

SPRINGFIELD, Mass - June 2, 2011--NBA Executive Brian McIntyre, who has spent over 30 years in the league office, has been selected to receive the 2011 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, it was announced today.

The Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award was instituted by the Board of Trustees of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973 and is the most prestigious award presented by the Hall of Fame outside of Enshrinement. Named in honor of Hall of Famer John W. Bunn (Class of 1964), the first chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame Committee who served from 1949-1964, the award honors coaches, players and contributors whose outstanding accomplishments have impacted the high school, college, professional or international game.

“Brian McIntyre has dedicated his stellar professional career to the NBA and the game of basketball, making him an outstanding recipient of this year’s John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.  “Since joining the NBA, Brian has worked in almost every capacity to help enhance the sport globally and impact the overall growth of the league.”

“The Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award was created to honor our colleagues who have made significant contributions in basketball,” said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board.  “Over the last three decades, Brian has had a critical role in developing the game around the world through his role at the NBA and helping to develop and implement many of the league’s most important global assets.”

McIntyre, who is in his 33rd NBA season, currently holds the title of Senior Communications Advisor to NBA Commissioner David Stern.

"Few people have done more to help mold the history of the NBA than Brian McIntyre,” said Stern. “During his tenure, he oversaw the NBA's PR efforts for every major event -- from the NBA Draft Lottery to All-Star Weekend to The Finals -- and was intimately involved in the league's international expansion and in the creation of the WNBA and the NBA Development League. More importantly, however, Brian has been a true friend and unwavering in his loyalty to the NBA. I can think of no one more worthy of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award. On behalf of the entire NBA family, I congratulate him on this truly deserved honor.”

The NBA hired McIntyre in November 1981 as Director of Public Relations after three and a half years as Director of Marketing and Media Information for the Chicago Bulls. He was promoted to Vice President, Public Relations in March 1989. Under McIntyre, the Public Relations Department expanded to become the Communications Group, and he was named Senior Vice President in November 1997.

In addition to managing public relations activities for every major NBA event from 1982 through 2010 and the emergence of the WNBA and NBA Developmental League, he also created numerous NBA awards, including the Defensive Player of the Year award, the Sixth Man Award, and the Most Improved Player. He was responsible for initiating White House visits by NBA Championship teams, creating a media training program for players, instituting the use of satellite postgame feeds at major NBA events, and a host of other initiatives. In conjunction with USA Basketball, McIntyre has been actively involved in public relations planning, activities, and onsite execution of the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics and the 1994, 2002, and 2006 World Championship of Basketball.

A graduate of Loyola University of Chicago, McIntyre has served as a member of the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) News Council and on the USA Basketball Media Advisory Committee. He was inducted into the Loyola (Ill.) Academy Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999, and the National Association of Black Journalists honored him with a Merit Award in 2009. The Professional Basketball Writers Association honored McIntyre in 2010 when the organization named its annual media relations tribute "The Brian McIntyre Media Relations Award." He is on the Board of Advisors for Loyola University's School of Communications.

McIntyre will be presented the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2011 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies, to be held at the “Hall of Fame Family Reunion Dinner” on Thursday, August 11. The annual Enshrinement Ceremony will be held on Friday, August 12.