Abe Pollin

Abe Pollin (born December 3, 1923 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is the current owner of the NBA's Washington Wizards, and former owner of the NHL's Washington Capitals and WNBA's Washington Mystics.

Pollin graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1945, where he was a member of Zeta Beta Tau, a historically Jewish fraternity. A successful construction contractor in the Washington area, he headed an investment group that bought the then Baltimore Bullets in 1964. He moved the team to the Washington area in 1973 after building the Capital Centre. In 1996, Pollin announced that he was changing the team's name because he felt the name "Bullets" had too many negative connotations. "Our slogan used to be 'Faster than a speeding bullet,' but that is no longer appropriate," Pollin told the press. A "name-the-team" contest yielded the name "Wizards."

Beginning in 2002, an award called "The Pollin Award" has been awarded annually in his honor. People are chosen for the Pollin Award based on their dedication to the Washington DC community and the impact they have on it. 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.

Holdings

Pollin is the chairman of the board, chief executive, and the majority shareholder of his company, Washington Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Wizards and the Verizon Center, amongst other entertainment interests. He was also the builder and owner of the Capital Centre, former home of the Wizards and Capitals

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/Abe_Pollin_Bio-44212-56.html Wizards profile]
* [http://www.aish.com/societyWork/work/Profile_The_Wizard_of_Washington.asp AISH profile]