Maurice Podoloff
Encyclopedia
Maurice Podoloff was a U.S.
lawyer and basketball
and ice hockey
administrator. He was the first president
of the National Basketball Association
. He served from the league's founding as the Basketball Association of America
in 1946 until 1963.
(now a part of Ukraine
and also known as (Elizabethgrad)]) on August 18, 1890. When he was a young boy his family emigrated to the United States
, where he graduated from Hillhouse High School
in New Haven, Connecticut
in 1909. From there Podoloff went on to Yale University
where he got his law degree in 1915.
A distinguished lawyer
, Maurice Podoloff was a man of impeccable character and was instrumental in the development and success of professional basketball. On June 6, 1946, Podoloff, who was already serving as president of the American Hockey League
, was appointed president of the newly formed Basketball Association of America
(BAA), becoming the first person to lead two professional leagues simultaneously.
After the BAA signed several of the top names in the National Basketball League
into the league, Maurice Podoloff negotiated a merger between the two groups to form the National Basketball Association
in 1949. As a lawyer with no previous experience, Podoloff's great organizational and administrative skills were later regarded as the key factor that kept the league alive in its often stormy formative years.
In 17 years as president, Podoloff expanded the NBA to as many as 17 teams, and briefly formed three divisions and scheduled 557 games.
During his tenure Maurice introduced the collegiate draft in 1947, and in 1954 instituted the 24 second shot clock
created by Dan Biasone, owner of the Syracuse Nationals
, which quickened the pace of games and took the NBA from a slow plodding game to a fast paced sport. In 1954, Podoloff also increased national recognition of the game immensely by securing its first television contract.
As the president of the NBA, he gave lifetime suspensions to Indianapolis Olympians
players Ralph Beard
and Alex Groza
after they admitted to point shaving
while in college at the University of Kentucky
.
Maurice Podoloff stepped down as NBA president in 1963, having increased fan interest during the NBA's formative years and having improved the overall welfare of the sport of basketball through his foresight, wisdom and leadership. In his honor, the NBA would name its annual league Most Valuable Player
trophy the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
administrator. He was the first president
Commissioner of the NBA
The Commissioner of the NBA is the chief executive of the National Basketball Association. He is elected by the NBA owners.-Maurice Podoloff :Maurice Podoloff was the first president of the National Basketball Association...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. He served from the league's founding as the Basketball Association of America
Basketball Association of America
The Basketball Association of America was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. The league merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, forming the National Basketball Association ...
in 1946 until 1963.
Profile
Maurice Podoloff was born to a Jewish family in Yelisavetgrad, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(now a part of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and also known as (Elizabethgrad)]) on August 18, 1890. When he was a young boy his family emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he graduated from Hillhouse High School
Hillhouse High School
James Hillhouse Comprehensive High School is the oldest public high school in New Haven, Connecticut. It is a part of New Haven Public Schools.- History :Established in 1859 as New Haven High School,...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
in 1909. From there Podoloff went on to Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he got his law degree in 1915.
A distinguished lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, Maurice Podoloff was a man of impeccable character and was instrumental in the development and success of professional basketball. On June 6, 1946, Podoloff, who was already serving as president of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
, was appointed president of the newly formed Basketball Association of America
Basketball Association of America
The Basketball Association of America was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. The league merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, forming the National Basketball Association ...
(BAA), becoming the first person to lead two professional leagues simultaneously.
After the BAA signed several of the top names in the National Basketball League
National Basketball League (United States)
Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
into the league, Maurice Podoloff negotiated a merger between the two groups to form the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
in 1949. As a lawyer with no previous experience, Podoloff's great organizational and administrative skills were later regarded as the key factor that kept the league alive in its often stormy formative years.
In 17 years as president, Podoloff expanded the NBA to as many as 17 teams, and briefly formed three divisions and scheduled 557 games.
During his tenure Maurice introduced the collegiate draft in 1947, and in 1954 instituted the 24 second shot clock
Shot clock
A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game. It is normally associated with basketball, but has also found use in sports such as snooker, professional lacrosse, water polo, and korfball....
created by Dan Biasone, owner of the Syracuse Nationals
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
, which quickened the pace of games and took the NBA from a slow plodding game to a fast paced sport. In 1954, Podoloff also increased national recognition of the game immensely by securing its first television contract.
As the president of the NBA, he gave lifetime suspensions to Indianapolis Olympians
Indianapolis Olympians
The Indianapolis Olympians were a National Basketball Association team based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. They were founded in 1949 and folded in 1953. Their home arena was the Hinkle Fieldhouse.-Franchise history:...
players Ralph Beard
Ralph Beard
Ralph Milton Beard Jr. was an American collegiate and professional basketball player. He was born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky. Beard was a member of Adolph Rupp's "Fabulous Five" University of Kentucky basketball team...
and Alex Groza
Alex Groza
Alex John Groza was an American professional basketball player from Martins Ferry, Ohio who was banned from the NBA for life in 1951 for point shaving...
after they admitted to point shaving
Point shaving
In organized sports, point shaving is a type of match fixing where the perpetrators try to prevent a team from covering a published point spread. Unlike other forms of match fixing, sports betting invariably motivates point shaving. A point shaving scheme generally involves a sports gambler and one...
while in college at the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
.
Maurice Podoloff stepped down as NBA president in 1963, having increased fan interest during the NBA's formative years and having improved the overall welfare of the sport of basketball through his foresight, wisdom and leadership. In his honor, the NBA would name its annual league Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
trophy the Maurice Podoloff Trophy.