Abe Pollin

Abraham J. Pollin (December 3, 1923 – November 24, 2009) was a real estate developer, professional sports team owner, and philanthropist in the Washington metropolitan area. He owned the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL), the Washington Mystics in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Baltimore / Washington Bullets / Wizards in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Pollin was the longest-tenured owner of an NBA team, holding the Chicago / Baltimore / Washington franchise for 46 years. He also owned the Capital One Arena, which he financed, as well as the Capital Centre. His family's original surname was Pollinovsky which was shortened to Pollin by Morris upon his arrival at Ellis Island from Russia in 1914.

He moved the team to the Washington area in 1973 after building the Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Maryland. Pollin leveraged everything he had, against the advice of his financial advisors, because he wanted to make an impact on the city.

Death Pollin died on November 24, 2009, at age 85, of corticobasal degeneration, a rare brain disease. At the time of his death, he was the longest-tenured owner in NBA history. His death led to the 2010 sale of the Washington Wizards and the Verizon Center to Ted Leonsis, who merged the team with the Washington Capitals under the Monumental Sports umbrella. Pollin was posthumously praised by league officials and D.C. leaders for his commitment to the city, specifically for privately financing the arena that revitalized downtown Washington, D.C."

Personal life Pollin and his wife, Irene Pollin (née Kerchek) were married on May 27, 1945, in Washington, D.C. The couple had four children, three sons and one daughter: Linda Joy (1947–1963), Robert N. (born 1950), Kenneth Jay (1952–1954), and James Edward (born 1958). Linda and Jay both suffered from congenital heart disease, leading to Jay's death at the age of 14 months old and Linda's death at the age of 16. After Linda's death, her father was so distraught that he quit his construction business and took a year off of work to recuperate from the loss.

Pollin was a Democrat and helped Marvin Mandel get elected as Governor of Maryland in 1969.

Philanthropy In 1988, Pollin partnered with Melvin Cohen to award college scholarships to 59 fifth-graders in Seat Pleasant, Maryland.

Beginning in 2002, an award called "The Pollin Award" has been awarded annually to someone based on their dedication and impact to the Washington, D.C. community. Notable winners of the award have included Harvey C. Barnum, Jr., 2005 Teacher of the Year, Jason Kamras and 2006 Miss District of Columbia, Kate Michael.

Pollin served as chairman of the Advisory Council for UNICEF and traveled to Uganda to oversee the disbursement of relief funds.

In March 2009, Pollin was inducted into the George Washington University School of Business Sports Executives Hall of Fame.

In March 2011, he was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.