Josh Byrne

Josh Byrne (born April 15, 1994) is a Canadian professional lacrosse player for the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League and Chaos Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League. He has won a championship with each team, with the Chaos in 2021, and with the Bandits in 2023 and 2024. He won the 2024 NLL MVP award and was also named the Finals MVP.

Early life
Born in New Westminster, British Columbia to an Irish father and Trinidadian mother, Byrne attended New Westminster Secondary School and played junior lacrosse for his hometown New Westminster Salmonbellies of the BC Junior A Lacrosse League. Byrne played collegiately at ASA College and Nassau Community College. From 2016 to 2017, he played at Hofstra University, where he scored 71 goals and tallied 111 points in 29 games.

Professional career
Byrne was taken first overall in the 2016 Western Lacrosse Association draft by the Burnaby Lakers. In 16 career regular season games with Burnaby, he tallied 12 goals and 33 assists.

Byrne was drafted first overall in the 2017 NLL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Bandits. With the Bandits, Byrne reached the NLL Cup Finals in 2019 and 2022, and won the NLL Cup in 2023 and 2024!

In the field game, Byrne was drafted 19th overall by the Chesapeake Bayhawks in the 2017 Major League Lacrosse draft. He played for Chesapeake in 2017 and 2018. Upon the foundation of the Premier Lacrosse League in 2019, Byrne joined Chaos Lacrosse Club, where he helped his team to PLL Championship game appearances in 2020 and 2022, and the league championship in 2021.

Personal life
Byrne hosts a podcast, The Dhane and Josh Show, with Bandits and Chaos teammate Dhane Smith. Both Byrne and Smith, who are Black Canadians, have supported the Black Lives Matter movement.