Joe Proski - Magic fingers

One of the NBAs Finest

After his 33rd season in the NBA and 32nd with the Suns, Joe Proski retired last year having been the only athletic trainer in the Phoenix Suns franchise's history. One of the longest-tenured athletic trainers in the history of the league, Proski received the first 30-year award ever issued by the National Basketball Trainers Association (NBTA).

Proski began his career in minor league baseball with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs organizations. He worked three years in the Major Leagues with the Cubs before serving as athletic trainer for the expansion Chicago Bulls in 1967. In 1968, he joined the Suns, yet maintained his ties to professional baseball, working four years with the White Sox AAA team in Tucson, Arizona

Known as "Magic Fingers," Proski is one of the most colorful and accomplished sports personalities in the nation. In 1979, the Phoenix Press Box Association named him "Arizona Sports Personality of the Year." Five years later, in 1984, he became the first recipient of the "Warren H. Lee Arizona Trainer of the Year" Award. In 1996, Proski received the Distinguished Service Award from the Arizona Athletic Trainers Association (AZATA) for his contributions to the Association and the athletic training profession in the state of Arizona. Proski served as athletic trainer at four NBA All-Star Games (1971, '75, '85 and'95) and represented the Western Conference on the NBA's Executive Committee for 10 years. He was named NBA Athletic Trainer of the Year in 1988 and received the 25-year service award from the National Athletic Trainers Association in 1986. Proski learned his trade at Florida Trainers School, where he was tutored by Gus Mauch. At the end of the NBA 2000 season, Joe retired and was bestowed the honor of being placed in the "Ring of Honor". The "Ring of Honor", located in the South end of the AmericaWest Arena, takes the place of retiring uniform numbers, a common practice of all the NBA franchises. Not only does Joe join Suns Hall-of-Famers Connie Hawkins, Alvin Adams, Walter Davis, Dick Van Arsdale, and Paul Westphal with this prestigeous award, but he also becomes the only non-player in the NBA to receive this type of honor.

When asked about how he thought he would cope being away from the "action"? Joe professed that he was looking forward to spending time pursuing his other passion, collecting and restoring automobiles. His collection includes a 1953 Bentley; a completely restored 1974 Triumph rnotorcycle and a custom 1950 Mercury show car. His latest project is the total restoration of a 1964 Buick Riviera. Joe and his wife, Jan, reside in Glendale, Ariz. and have two daughters, Jolene and Jori.

 
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