Grave of Lawrence F. O'Brien Jr. - Springfield, MA - Irish-American Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Lawrence F. O'Brien Jr. is buried in a family plot marked by a large granite headstone and a US Army ground level granite plaque. The family headstone has an incised Celtic cross and is inscribed O'BRIEN. The back of the family headstone is inscribed:

The US Army ground level granite plaque has a Latin cross and the inscription:

Lawrence F. O'Brien Jr., O'Brien, the son of Irish immigrants, was born in Springfield, MA on July 7, 1917. He received a law degree from Northeastern University – Springfield Division in 1942. After serving during World War II he became a Democratic Party strategist and organized the successful senatorial and Presidential campaigns for John F. Kennedy. After the assassination of President Kennedy he joined the cabinet of Lyndon Johnson as the United States Postmaster General.

Between 1975 and 1985 he was the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association. Under his regime basketball achieved unprecedented growth and popularity in the United States and around the world. He successfully completed the merger between American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association, negotiated a television-broadcast agreements with CBS Television and an anti-drug agreement with the NBA Players Association, and instituted the three point field goal. In 1991 he was enshrined into the Basketball All of Fame. NBA Championship Trophy was is now called the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy.

Lawrence F. O'Brien Jr. died on September 28, 1990 at age 73 while on business trip to New York City.