John J. O'Brien (born November 4, 1888 – December 9, 1967) was an American basketball referee and administrator. Born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, he was involved in organizing several early professional basketball leagues. In 1925, he founded Metropolitan Basketball League, which featured

Original Celtics The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional American basketball team. At various times in their existence, the team played in the American Basketball League, the Eastern Basketball League and the Metropolitan Basketball League. The tea ...

. From 1928 to 1953 he was an executive with American Basketball League, serving as president and, later, as chairman of the board. He was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 1961.

External links

Basketball Hall of Fame on O'Brien
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, John 1888 births 1967 deaths Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees