George Kalinsky, longtime Madison Square Garden official photographer, dies at 88

Photographer George Kalinsky is seen during a game between the Knicks and the Washington Wizards on April 12, 2010, at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Courtesy of MSG
They are called “still” photographs, but the ones that George Kalinsky took were anything but static, capturing six decades at Madison Square Garden with depth and richness even video could not match.
So when he died Thursday night, he left behind not only relatives and friends but a trove of visual history that will forever preserve his life and times.
Kalinsky, who was born in Hempstead and was a former Port Washington resident, had been the Garden’s official photographer since 1966. Kalinsky died of natural causes and complications from Parkinson’s disease, according to his longtime colleague and friend, Rebecca Taylor. He was 88.
Taylor was the Garden's vice president of photo services and worked with Kalinsky for almost 20 years and managed his photo collection.
"Working with him was like working alongside a legend," Taylor said. "He was always very generous, though, with his time, with his knowledge, with his heart. ... His camera chronicled the culture of the ages for five decades. His lens saw it all.”
The list of major events Kalinsky photographed is in essence the list of major events both inside and outside the Garden, particularly in the second half of the 20th century.

The Knicks advance to their first NBA Finals in 21 years with a Game 7 win over Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals on June 5, 1994. Credit: From the lends of George Kalinsky
"For more than 50 years, George was synonymous with Madison Square Garden," the MSG family of companies said in a statement, "There wasn't a single important moment at The World’s Most Famous Arena that George didn't capture. From Willis Reed's inspiring walk onto the court for Game 7 of 1970 NBA Finals to ‘The Fight of the Century’ between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, George and his lens were there. "
Before Friday night’s Timberwolves-Knicks game at the Garden, MSG Networks announcer Mike Breen told Newsday, “First off, he just was so kind, and whenever you ran into him, he made you feel that he was so happy to see you. There’s nobody that’s that happy to see me. But George was like that. He did really make you feel good.
“Never saw him in a bad mood, and clearly, I always felt that his pictures reflected who he was from the standpoint of he wanted to know the person. He wanted to capture the personality of who he was taking a picture of, just like if you had a conversation with him, he wanted to know something about you. He felt the same way when he was taking a picture. He wanted to capture who that person was.”
Kalinsky's MSG resume also includes the Rangers winning the 1994 Stanley Cup and numerous non-sports performances and events.
Among other celebrities, he befriended Frank Sinatra. Kalinsky often told the story of the first time he met the singer.
When Sinatra visited him at the Garden shortly before the first Ali-Frazier fight in 1971, he said he had been hired to take pictures of the fight by Life magazine and asked Kalinsky to teach him everything he knew about photography in five minutes. Kalinsky did the best he could.
Kalinsky’s association with Ali was particularly close — and historic.
When Newsday ran into him during Ali’s funeral procession in Louisville in 2016 — he was taking pictures, naturally — Kalinsky recounted being the person who in 1974 gave Ali the idea for a “rope-a-dope” strategy against George Foreman.
It helped Ali upset Foreman and win back the heavyweight boxing championship.
Muhammad Ali, "Ali and Kid," circia 1970s. Credit: From the lens of George Kalinsky
Ali confided in Kalinsky that he was worried about Foreman’s size and strength. Kalinsky said he told Ali, “What you have to do is lean with your back against the ropes like you do in training and let him punch the hell out of you.
“He’s going to knock himself out and then you knock him out. But you have to act like a dope on the ropes. Make it look real. Act like really, you’re a dope, on the ropes. Make it look like you’re really out of it.”
Kalinsky’s relationship with Ali dated to 1965, when he was 29 years old and talked his way into Ali’s training gym in Miami, claiming falsely that he was the Garden’s official photographer. Not long after, it came true.
For all of his hustle and chutzpah, Kalinsky was soft-spoken and unobtrusive, helpful attributes for an observer of major events and famous people. It was part of how he gained their trust and intimate access.
One of Kalinsky’s most iconic subjects was the Knicks’ Walt “Clyde” Frazier, whose flashy wardrobes of late 1960s and early ‘70s were captured by Kalinsky.
“The kindest guy,” Frazier said during Friday night’s Knicks telecast on MSG Networks. “He took my first ‘Clyde’ pictures. [It was] his ingenuity, folks. The Garden has been able to find a facsimile for Clyde, for Reed, for Ewing. No one has come close to replacing George Kalinsky.”

The Knicks' Jerry Lucas, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Willis Reed, Phil Jackson, and Bill Bradley celebrate after defeating the Lakers in Game 5 to win the NBA Championship at the LA Forum in Los Angeles, California, on May 10, 1973. Credit: From the lens of George Kalinsky
Before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, in which Frazier starred against the Lakers as the Knicks won their first title, Kalinsky had lunch with Knicks captain Willis Reed, who confided he would play that night despite a serious hip injury. Kalinsky followed him onto the court for warmups, capturing the moment for posterity.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau spoke about Kalinsky before Friday night's game.
“Just a wonderful man. So great at what he did," Thibodeau said. "He captured so many big moments at the Garden. On top of that, just who he was as a person. He always made everybody feel good, and you can’t say anything more about a person.
“He was just a great, great guy, and a fantastic photographer. And the way he captured everything that happened here was really special.”
In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited the Garden, and Kalinsky spoke to him briefly backstage. Later, Kalinsky captured the Pope singling out 6-year-old Geralyn Smith in the crowd and lifting her up by her lower legs onto his “popemobile.”
The Pope liked the image so much he asked for a copy and put it on his desk at the Vatican.
Kalinsky also captured many memorable moments from the Mets' 1986 world championship season.
He was given numerous honors during his career, including the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2021.
“This is very sad news,” Mets radio announcer Howie Rose posted on X. “I had the pleasure of knowing George. His pictures are legendary, and he was equally kind. A genuinely sweet man.”
Kalinsky is survived by his daughter Rachelle Kalinsky, his son Lee Kalinsky and grandchildren Emily Birnbaum, Jason Birnbaum, Josh Kalinsky and Jackie Clarke, his sister Marilyn Kalinsky and brother Howard Kalinsky.
With Steve Popper