Abe Pollin

Lore & Background

Pollin was born in Philadelphia on December 3, 1923, to Jennie and Morris Pollin, American Jews. His family's original surname was Pollinovsky, shortened to Pollin by Morris upon his arrival at Ellis Island from Russia in 1914. When he was 8, Pollin's family moved to the Washington area from Philadelphia. He graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1941 and George Washington University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1945, where he became a brother of Zeta Beta Tau. After graduating, he worked for his family's construction company for 12 years, then launched his own construction company in 1957. He amassed a considerable fortune as a developer during the 1960s. Along with Earl Foreman and Arnold Heft, Pollin purchased the then-Baltimore Bullets from Dave Trager for $1.1 million in November 1964, buying out his partners in 1965. He moved the team to the Washington area in 1973 after building the Capital Centre in suburban Landover, Maryland. In 1996, he changed the team's name from Bullets to Wizards. In 1995, he signed an agreement with Mayor Marion Barry to spend $180 million, financed by banks, to design and build what is now Capital One Arena. In 1999, Pollin sold the Capitals and minority stakes in the Wizards and the arena to Ted Leonsis for approximately $200 million. Pollin died on November 24, 2009, at age 85, of corticobasal degeneration. He was posthumously praised for privately financing the arena that revitalized downtown Washington, D.C.

Reader's Guide

Pollin is often given credit for revitalizing Downtown Washington, D.C. by building the Capital One Arena. He leveraged everything he had, against the advice of his financial advisors, because he wanted to make an impact on the city. He was a Democrat and helped Marvin Mandel get elected as Governor of Maryland in 1969. In 1988, he partnered with Melvin Cohen to award college scholarships to 59 fifth-graders in Seat Pleasant, Maryland. Beginning in 2002, 'The Pollin Award' has been awarded annually to someone based on their dedication and impact to the Washington, D.C. community. In 2008, he donated $1 million to the Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and made donations totaling $3 million toward finding a cure for corticobasal degeneration. He served as chairman of the Advisory Council for UNICEF, on the board of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and as president of the advisory board of the American Foundation for Autistic Children. He also worked with business and government leaders to help the city's homeless population.

Did You Know?

• Pollin changed the team's name from Bullets to Wizards in 1996 due to negative connotations of the name 'Bullets' at a time of high crime.
• Pollin's daughter Linda and son Jay both died from congenital heart disease, leading Pollin to quit his construction business and take a year off.
• The block of F Street NW where Capital One Arena is located was named 'Abe Pollin Way'.