Ganz (c) spearhead Proskauer's sports law practice, which included late NBA Commissioner David Stern (r)HOWARD GANZ
Proskauer Sports Law Group co-Head HOWARD GANZ passed away this morning. A member of SBJ's Champions class of '18, Ganz was at the forefront of sports legal issues for more than 50 years. He helped spearhead the development of Proskauer's sports law practice as part of a group of colleagues that included late NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN, all under the tutelage of GEORGE GALLANTZ. He has been an integral part of some of the most significant changes in sports, including every NBA collective bargaining agreement since '67 and every MLB CBA since '99. As a labor lawyer and litigator, Ganz was outside counsel for MLB and the NBA during the ABA/NBA merger, the PETE ROSE gambling scandal, the creation of the WNBA and various performance-enhancing drug controversies, among many other seminal events. He also has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from N.Y. Law Journal. A memo to Proskauer employees notes Ganz' "enormous and remarkably successful body of work" and his "extraordinary wit." It also describes him as "unfailingly kind, decent, and altruistic," adding, "Howard was a beloved figure who will be dearly missed." A cause of death has not been disclosed (THE DAILY).
