Ben Kerner
| Ben Kerner | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 9, 1913 |
| Died | November 22, 2000 (aged 87) St. Louis, Missouri |
| Occupation | Businessman, sports-franchise founder and owner, basketball executive |
| Years active | 1946–1968, as owner of NBA's Tri-Cities Blackhawks, Milwaukee Hawks and St. Louis Hawks |
| Spouse(s) | Ima Jean Kerner (1934–2011) |
Ben Kerner (June 9, 1913 – November 22, 2000) was an American professional basketball owner. He was the founder and owner of the St. Louis Hawks of the National Basketball Association, the present-day Atlanta Hawks. In 1946 Kerner founded a professional team in Buffalo, New York, which became the Moline, Illinois-based Tri-Cities Blackhawks after a few games. Kerner moved the team to Milwaukee in 1951 and to St. Louis in 1955. His 1958 St. Louis Hawks won the NBA Championship.
During the 1946-47 season, Kerner added Pop Gates to the Buffalo-Tri-Cities team. Gates finished second on the team in scoring, behind 1948 NBL MVP Don Otten. A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player, Gates was a factor in integrating the league and the first African-American coach in a major league when he coached Dayton in 1948.
Kerner hired Naismith Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in 1949. When he discovered that Kerner had traded a player without consulting him, Auerbach left the Blackhawks to coach the Boston Celtics for the 1950-51 season and won a record nine NBA championships with the Celtics.
In 1950, Kerner drafted Naismith Hall of Fame player Bob Cousy in the first round (number four) and sold him to the Chicago Stags. Cousy, reportedly unhappy to go to a small-town area, wanted $10,000 to sign with the Blackhawks and Kerner countered with $6,000 before selling him to the Stags. Cousy played for Auerbach in Boston when the Stags were sold, and played in 13 consecutive All-Star games.
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