Yankees Present Josh Hart With Jersey to Honor Trailblazing Relative Elston Howard

New York saluted two generations of city sports stars.

Sep 24, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Knick guard Josh Hart, center-left, poses for a photo with New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) and shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In two years with the New York Knicks, forward Josh Hart has won adoration from fans for his hard-nosed play and voluminous rebounding despite his relatively short stature.

However, many may not know that Hart is related by blood to a city sports icon that predated him by 60 years. Hart is the grandnephew of former New York Yankees catcher, first baseman and left fielder Elston Howard—the Yankees' first Black player.

On Tuesday, Hart dropped by Yankee Stadium before New York's game against the Baltimore Orioles. While he was there, the Yankees gifted him a No. 32 jersey in Howard's honor.

The Yankees gifted Josh Hart a number 32 jersey in honor of his great uncle Elston Howard who was the first Black player on the Yankees

(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/IQWLNTAmTl

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 24, 2024

Howard played 15 major league seasons—13 with New York, two with the Boston Red Sox, and one with the Negro League's Kansas City Monarchs. He was a 12-time All-Star, the 1963 American League MVP, a four-time world champion, and a two-time Gold Glove winner.

The St. Louis native died in 1980 of myocarditis, a rare heart condition; he was 51 and had ended his coaching career just a year earlier. However, his legacy lives on in Hart.

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