Barry Kramer passed away over the weekend. He was 82 years old. He served as a Surrogate Court judge in New York, and would later oversee the Fourth District of New York’s Supreme Court.
Oh, and he played in the NBA. Way back in the day.
Let me explain.
A graduate of Linton High School in Schenectady, Kramer was drafted in the first round of the 1964 NBA draft, joining the San Francisco Warriors that season. In his first year in the NBA, Kramer played both for the San Francisco Warriors and the New York Knicks, and the future looked bright for this young hoopster.
Until he retired. He retired after one season in the NBA, and chose to go back to school. After finishing Albany Law School, he entered the legal field.
But he never truly left basketball. I blogged about this way back in 2009, but in 1965 Kramer joined several other Capital District hoopsters as part of a town team. This squad, originally known as the Wedekind Pros (sponsored by Schenectady’s Wedekind Pontiac dealership), and later as the Schaefer Brewers, played from 1965 to 1972 and provided the Capital Region with quality basketball entertainment.
The Brewers didn’t really exist as part of an organized league. Their schedule was made up of other squads who would travel to Schenectady for one-off games. They also hosted some teams from the Eastern Professional Basketball League, who played the Brewers outside of their own league schedule. There were also visits from the Harlem Wizards, a Globetrotters-like team that would play the Brewers in straight competition. And at the end of the year, the Brewers would often host a touring squad of graduating NCAA stars. Yes, you could have watched Julius Erving or Connie Hawkins or Dave Bing in action in a Schenectady high school gym against the local town squad.
Barry Kramer did make a return to the upper levels of pro hoops, playing a few games in 1969-70 for the ABA’s New York Nets, as well as some Eastern League games for a team in New Haven. But it was apparent that his true passion was the legal field, where he spent the rest of his life providing guidance and assistance.
You only get one chance in this life. And Judge Barry Kramer made the most of every second of it.
Rest in peace, Your Honor.
Chuck The Writer 
Refreshing.
A local standout athlete who rose to the professional ranks, and kept his head on his shoulders all the while, and thereafter. He did his family and this area proud.
RIP.
LikeLike