Sam Schulman

Samuel Schulman (April 10, 1910 – June 12, 2003) was an American businessman from New York who was a founding owner and President of the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association and an owner of the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League, and later the National Football League.

Life and career Born to a Jewish family on April 10, 1910, in New York City, Schulman graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1932.

One of the first big names Schulman brought to the SuperSonics from the American Basketball Association was Spencer Haywood, who had signed with the Denver Rockets as a college sophomore but quit the Rockets over a salary dispute. Haywood's signing with the SuperSonics in December 1970 was in defiance of the NBA rule that said a player could not be signed until four years after he graduated from high school. Schulman and his lawyer wound up taking Haywood v. National Basketball Association to the U.S. Supreme Court. That March the court cleared the way for Haywood to finish the season with the SuperSonics. The ruling led to a revision of the NBA policy and opened the draft potential for many future young players. Sam Schulman received the Pillar of Achievement award from the Southern California Jewish Hall of Fame.