DALLAS — The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks are vying for a chance to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy, the ultimate goal of any professional basketball player.
Today, not many basketball fans could tell you who Larry O'Brien was, but he was an instrumental part of molding the NBA into the league we know today.
Outside of basketball, he was a key player in the politics of the 1960s, including the election of President John F. Kennedy.
Larry O'Brien: the politician
Lawrence Francis O'Brien Jr. was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1917 to Irish immigrants.
O'Brien became a passionate democrat in his youth, and was appointed by John F. Kennedy to direct his U.S. Senate campaign in Massachusetts. O'Brien's tactics were so successful, it supported Kennedy's Senate election, reelection, and eventually, his 1960 presidential election win!
While Kennedy served in office, O'Brien remained a key role player, tasked with recruiting the President's administration.
O'Brien served Kennedy until his assassination in Dallas. He was an eyewitness to the President's assassination, and accompanied Jackie Kennedy and the President's coffin back to Air Force One at Love Field.
During Lyndon B. Johnson's run for president, O'Brien served as campaign director. When Johnson won, he appointed O'Brien as U.S. Postmaster General.
When Johnson chose not to seek reelection, O'Brien went to work as campaign advisor to Senator Robert F. Kennedy until his assassination.
In 1968, Larry O'Brien was elected to be chairman of the Democratic National Convention, and later became a central piece in the Watergate scandal.
It turns out the NBA championship trophy isn't the only award bearing O'Brien's name. In 1992, the DNC created the Lawrence O'Brien Award to acknowledge his contributions to the party.
Larry O'Brien: the NBA commissioner
After a long career in politics, O'Brien took his talents to the NBA. He was appointed commissioner in 1975.
The NBA looked a lot different at the time. There were only 18 teams, and the league had competition: the American Basketball Association.
The ABA hosted teams like the New York Nets, and offered competitive salaries to the NBA, signing hall of fame players like Julius "Dr. J" Erving.
In 1976, O'Brien oversaw the negotiation of the NBA-ABA merger, adding the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, and New York Nets to the NBA. In 1978, O'Brien oversaw another league expansion, welcoming the Dallas Mavericks as the NBA's 23rd team.
The league saw major change to the game of basketball under O'Brien's tenure, both on the court and behind the scenes.
With O'Brien leading, the league adopted the three-pointer in 1979, changing scoring in the NBA forever.
Originally, championship teams were given the Walter A. Brown trophy, named after the first owner of the Boston Celtics. There was only one Brown trophy, and it was held by the champion of each year until a new champion was named.
In 1977, O'Brien created a new trophy. It still bore Brown's name, but a new one was made each year for the champion to keep forever.
Perhaps O'Brien's biggest achievement as commissioner was bringing the NBA to television. He negotiated a broadcast agreement with CBS, and later brought the game to cable TV, inking a deal with ESPN.
The TV deals expanded league popularity during the 1980s, making athletes like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson bona fide celebrities.
During his time as commissioner, the NBA saw its ticket sales double and TV revenue triple. Attendance even reached 10 million annually.
Because of his contributions to the league, the NBA renamed the championship trophy the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy upon his retirement in 1984.
In 1990, Larry O'Brien died of cancer at 73 years old. He was buried in his hometown, Springfield, Massachusetts.
One year later in 1991, he was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame, also located in Springfield.