The moves between the Nets and the Knicks have always carried extra weight. The rivalry makes any player crossing the East River an instant talking point. Mikal Bridges dominated the headlines as it was the first deal between the franchise since 1983. Now, the crossover involves someone from a different side of the organization.
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Leon Rose has no problem recruiting from their rivals. In 2020, Frank Zanin made the move from the Nets to be the Assistant General Manager of the Knicks. Now, another Nets staffer is making the same jump, with Fred Galloway leaving Brooklyn.
Galloway’s move comes at an especially interesting time for New York. The Knicks are coming off a championship season, putting the spotlight on a roster led by Jalen Brunson and a supporting cast that includes Bridges.
New York Post‘s Brian Lewis tweeted, “The #Nets are losing one of their best employees to their rivals, with Fred Galloway becoming the Senior Director of Team Security for the reigning #NBA champs. He’d spent 14 years in Brooklyn, and was Director, Head Of Team Security for the Nets and #Liberty. #WNBA.”
A Nets fan summed up the decade-old relationship: “To say Fred has been a staple in the Nets organization would be an understatement. Sad day.”
Before joining the Nets, Galloway spent six years with an FBI counterterrorism team after working in the NYPD’s Intelligence Division. His FBI unit covered the Horn of Africa and was called into action after Navy SEALs rescued Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates.
Galloway’s team was tasked with bringing Abduwali Muse, the pirate captured during the rescue, back to the United States.
The Muse operation was one of five hostage-related cases Galloway worked on during his time with the FBI. He was also involved in the January 2012 rescue of American aid worker Jessica Buchanan.
Today, his office at the team’s practice facility still carries reminders of that career, including a photo of the team that accompanied him on the Muse mission.
The new Knicks executive played a major role during some of the most challenging moments of the Kevin Durant and Steve Nash era in Brooklyn. His law enforcement experience made him a reliable presence whenever unexpected situations put the team on alert.
That experience proved especially valuable during the 2022 Brooklyn subway shooting near the team’s practice facility.
The Nets’ security team, led by Fred Galloway, alerted Steve Nash as the situation developed. By then, players were already arriving at the HSS Training Center from different parts of the area, and shootaround was underway.
Nash said there was no thought of stopping it because the team had already assembled.
The shooting at the 36th Street subway station, just five blocks from the facility, still rattled the organization. Despite the disturbing situation so close to home, the Nets continued preparing for their play-in game with security heightened around the team.
His reputation grew during a heated 2022 trip to Philadelphia, where Ben Simmons dealt with aggressive fans outside the team hotel and later near the bench.
According to NetsDaily, tensions escalated when a fan rushed toward Simmons. Galloway immediately stepped in and used his body to shield the player. His readiness to intervene when situations got out of hand quickly became a talking point in the locker room. Before long, he had even picked up an unforgettable internal reputation for having a “mean forearm.”
New York Post’s reporter, Stefan Bondy, even stated on x that “The Knicks are in good hands with Fred Galloway now running security.” Still, for all the talk of camaraderie and teamwork inside the facility, the Knicks’ newest executive previously admitted it cannot match the adrenaline that came with trying to save lives behind enemy lines.
“Once we were there, it’s like everything else in life … you have to make the best of it until you’re out,” he said. “We were all from different backgrounds, we all worked in different parts of the country, we all specialized in different areas and we put it together, went there and got it done.
“[Basketball] is entertainment. This is something that for people who have to work really hard, they can go home and have a little enjoyment for a couple hours at a game. But when we go out there and do this stuff for Americans, there’s no room for mistakes, because one mistake and you can leave with eight and come back with seven or six or five or four, or not get the job done and lose an American.
“Nobody wants an ‘L’ on a hostage case.”
With a championship roster to protect and a new season ahead, Galloway brings years of experience handling high-pressure situations around an NBA team. His move from Brooklyn to Manhattan gives the rivalry another off-court chapter.