Joe Proski
Joe Proski is a Polish American retired athletic trainer who spent the majority of his career as the head trainer for the National Basketball Association Phoenix Suns. After spending one season with the Chicago Bulls, Proski left for the Phoenix Suns in 1968. Proski served as the head athletic trainer in four NBA All-Star Games and was named Head Athletic Trainer of the Year in 1988. Following the 1999–2000 NBA season, Proski retired from the NBA. His immediate successor for the position would be Aaron Nelson, who was recommended by Jeff Hornacek and became the assistant athletic trainer from 1993–2000. On April 1, 2001, Proski was inducted into the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor. In 2017, Proski was inducted into the Arizona Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame.
Proski's father, John Proski, was a trainer for the NFL Green Bay Packers. Following the construction of Lambeau Field in 1957, John Proski became the manager of the venue.
Joe Proski went to Montana State University on a football scholarship and during the summers worked for a Los Angeles Dodgers minor league affiliate in his hometown of Green Bay as a clubhouse manager. The team's manager, Pete Reiser, urged Proski to pursue a career in training. Proski enrolled at the Gus Mauch Florida School for Athletic Trainers in Kissimmee, Florida and was certified in 1959. He eventually joined the Detroit Tigers physical therapy staff during spring training. His position with the Tigers led him to his first full-time training job with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs employed Proski for eight years before he left for the NBA. Proski worked as a trainer for the Chicago White Sox minor league affiliate in Tucson, Arizona during the NBA off-season.
