Abe Pollin, the Jewish owner of the Washington Wizards and the NBA’s longest-tenured owner, died Nov. 24. He was 85.
Pollin suffered from progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder that impairs movement and balance. He had heart bypass surgery in 2005 and broke his pelvis two years later.
Born Dec. 3, 1923, Pollin graduated from George Washington University in 1945 and went to work in his family’s construction business. He started his own construction company in 1957.
Pollin and two partners bought the Baltimore Bullets in 1964, and moved the team to the Washington suburbs 10 years later. The team won the NBA title in 1978.
In the 1990s, Pollin risked much of his fortune to build an arena for the Wizards in a neglected D.C. neighborhood, which has led to a revitalization of downtown Washington since its opening in 1997.
Pollin also devoted considerable time and money to charities. He was one of three developers who bought and restored the historic Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, D.C., in 2004, turning it into a hub of activity for young Jews.
Pollin also was a friend of Yitzhak Rabin, whose death in 1995 (along with the city’s struggles with gun violence) spurred him to change the name of his NBA franchise from the Bullets to the Wizards.
He was a member of the board of directors of the Israel Project and AIPAC.
“Abe never missed an opportunity to stress the importance of America’s special and unbreakable bond with the State of Israel,” AIPAC said in a statement. “We are profoundly saddened by his loss, but comforted by the knowledge that Abe’s courageous and tireless spirit made a profound difference for a cause in which he deeply believed — the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship.” — ap and jta