SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Seventy years ago this week, the Syracuse Nationals won the NBA championship — a title that remains the only one in the city’s professional basketball history. Today, a small Irish pub in downtown Syracuse quietly preserves that legacy, not in a trophy case or a banner, but beneath the feet of its patrons.
Shaughnessy’s Irish Pub, tucked inside the Marriott Syracuse Downtown, is built atop a piece of basketball history: the original hardwood floor from the 1955 NBA Finals. That year, the Nationals clinched the championship in a seven-game series against the Fort Wayne Pistons. The team would eventually relocate and become the Philadelphia 76ers, but in Syracuse, their story still resonates — especially within the walls of this pub.
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out,” said Sarah Jackson, a server at Shaughnessy’s. “It’s the actual War Memorial floor. Some nights I’ll look down and think, ‘Wow, that’s where it happened.’ It’s humbling.”
Photographs and artifacts line the walls, curated in collaboration with the Onondaga Historical Association. Patrons sipping Guinness can glance over and see snapshots of a team that helped shape the early years of the NBA.
“Sometimes people recognize their relatives in the photos,” Jackson said. “I had a guest point to a picture and say, ‘That’s my grandfather.’ It’s moments like that — you realize how deeply connected this community is to that history.”
When the War Memorial underwent renovations, the court was salvaged by Ed Riley, a local developer behind the hotel’s restoration. He installed the floor at Shaughnessy’s as a tribute not just to the Nationals, but to a time when Syracuse held a place on the national stage.
The memorabilia inside the pub, according to manager Tom Fiorini, has largely been donated — items from the families of former players and longtime fans.
Today, Shaughnessy’s functions as more than a bar. It’s a gathering spot for fans across all Syracuse sports — from Orange basketball and football to lacrosse. The pub regularly hosts live podcasts with local coaches, blending past and present in a city where sports remain a cultural centerpiece.
“Syracuse is a close-knit city. Having this kind of legacy under our feet — it brings people together,” Fiorini said.
AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Syracuse pub preserves city’s forgotten NBA glory
Evan Fay: It might surprise some to learn that Syracuse was once home to an NBA team… and an NBA champion. seventy years ago this week, the Syracuse Nationals brought the city its first and only NBA title. while the franchise moved on to become the Philadelphia 76ers, one local bar is keeping that piece of basketball history alive. NCC News’ Brycen Pace has the story.
Brycen Pace: On a typical night at Shaughnessy’s Irish Pub in downtown Syracuse, you’ll find people enjoying wings, drinks, and any game on tv, but few may realize they’re standing on a piece of basketball history.
The floor beneath them is the original hardwood from the 1955 NBA Finals, when the Syracuse Nationals took home the title. server Sarah Jackson says the legacy caught her eye right away.
Sarah Jackson: Oh my goodness, I know. isn’t it crazy? But it is the original war memorial floor. It’s so hard to, like, believe that it actually was that floor. like, there are times where, it throws me off and I’m like, wow.
Pace: Historic photos and memorabilia line the walls—part of a tribute created with the Onondaga Historical Association to honor Syracuse’s sports legacy. Jackson says it sparks unexpected connections with guests.
Jackson: You’d be surprised—more than not—I actually had moments where some people actually recognize their grandparents from photos. Yeah, that was really humbling. they’re like, ‘that’s my grandfather,’ and would show me pictures of them.
Pace: From the floor to the framed photos on the walls, Shaughnessy’s has become not only a living tribute to a championship team, but a reminder of Syracuse’s unexpected place in NBA history, one that still resonates, decades later. With NCC News, I’m Brycen Pace.