INQUIRER Sports

WASHINGTON-- Abe Pollin, whose 45 years directing the Washington Wizards made him the NBA's longest-tenured club owner, died Tuesday at age 85, hours before his team won a tribute triumph in an arena he built.

There was a moment of silence to remember Pollin before the Wizards edged Philadelphia 108-107 behind 32 points and 14 rebounds from Antawn Jamison.

"He would want us to celebrate his life and not mourn his death," Wizards coach Flip Saunders said. "That's just the individual he was. But when you're here going through it, it's not that easy."

Pollin's Washington Sports and Entertainment Company announced the death of its founder, who suffered from progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder that affected his balance and movement.

"With Abe Pollin?s passing, the NBA family has lost its most revered member," NBA commissioner David Stern said. "During his illness he fought with a determination and valor that will remain an inspiration to all."

Pollin used his own money to build the Wizards home arena and was recalled by those whose lives he touched.

"He wanted a championship before he died and as long as I'm here that's what I'm going to be shooting for," Wizards star Gilbert Arenas said.

At 4-9, the Wizards are far from a championship contender. But they held a beloved space in Pollin's heart even though their only NBA crown came in 1978.

Philadelphia coach Eddie Jordan, a former Wizards coach facing his former club for the first time, felt the loss as keenly as he had the thrill of coaching his hometown team thanks to Pollin.

"I had a very close relationship with him," Jordan said. "It's adversity for me to overcome to focus in and get my team to play at a high level."

"His team won a championship and he was part of it, so he knew what it took to win, and he wanted to win a championship in a very passionate way. He was really intent on winning another championship."

Pollin bought the NBA's Baltimore Bullets in 1964 and moved them to suburban Washington in 1973, renaming the team the Capital Bullets for one season and then the Washington Bullets.

The Bullets won the 1978 NBA crown, the only league title Pollin's squad ever captured.

The next year, Pollin took the club to China, making the team the first NBA squad to play in the Asian nation.

"I just lost a real, real good friend," said Wes Unseld, the 1978 star who would later become coach and general manager of the club in a sign of Pollin's loyalty to his friends.

"I think it's more than any of you will understand or I could even explain. It's just going to be a big void in sports in this community."

In 1997, Pollin renamed the Bullets as the Wizards, in part because of the huge number of gun slayings in the US capital, and moved the team from a suburban arena into a 20,000-seat downtown coliseum he built in the Chinatown neighborhood, sparking a redevelopment that continues to this day.

Stern called Pollin's stewardship of the Wizards "a study in unparalleled dedication to the city of Washington" and saw the downtown arena as his greatest achievement for the city.
Pollin, who underwent heart bypass surgery four years ago and in 2007 suffered a broken pelvis, was known for loyalty and running an empire of sports clubs that once included hockey's Washington Capitals as if it were a family.

"Abe Pollin always wanted the best for his teams, the fans and Washington and all of those passions combined to create the arena that revitalized the entire downtown community," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said.

"He was a man of commitment and principle and we all will miss him. The National Hockey League family sends sincere condolences to his loved ones."

Ted Leonsis, the long-time AOL top executive, bought the Capitals in 1999 and the
Women's NBA Mystics in 2005 and has the right of first refusal for purchasing the
Wizards and the home arena they share with the Capitals and Mystics.

Leonsis was a major player in the Wizards luring NBA superstar Michael Jordan back to the NBA following his career with the Chicago Bulls.

Jordan became a minority owner in the team, gave it up to play for two seasons and was sent packing in 2003 in a tense meeting with Pollin.