Podoloff, Maurice

Podoloff was the first Commissioner of the NBA, and is enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Instrumental in the development of the NBA, Maurice held the position from 1949-1963, and was one of the men responsible for the introduction of the 24-second clock.

Birth and Death Dates:
Aug.18, 1890-Nov. 24, 1985

Career Highlights:
On June 6, 1946, Podoloff was appointed commissioner of a new professional league, the Basketball Association of America. At the time, he was also the president of the American Hockey League, thus becoming the first person to simultaneously lead two professional sports leagues. He later said: "I never cared for basketball. I never cared for hockey. I was hired to do a job." After the BAA signed several of the top players from the rival NBL (National Basketball League), Podoloff negotiated a merger to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.

Podoloff held the job for 17 years and expanded the NBA to 17 teams, formed 3 divisions, and negotiated the league's first TV contract in 1954. Earlier that year, he arranged for the construction and use of the first 24-second clock (created by Dan Biasone). But the infant league struggled. Podoloff said: "We had fouling, stalling, people were leaving the arenas in the last few minutes until that little guy (Biasone) came up with his brainchild: the 24-second clock." The owners liked the idea, thus stopping teams from holding the ball, slowing up the game, and losing crowd interest. As an example in how hogging the ball could result in minimal scoring, in November 1950, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Minneapolis Lakers, 19-18. Although the owner of the Celtics volunteered to get his own clock made (which actually never worked), Podoloff ordered his own clocks for every team. It is believed that without the 24-second clock, the NBA would have folded within five years and Podoloff never could have convinced television to carry games nationally on a regular basis.

Maurice retired in 1963, after holding the league together during its formidable years. In his honor, the NBA presents its annual league MVP with the Podoloff Cup. After retiring, he said that he did not watch basketball games on television because: "I don't like the game...I never liked the game." Podoloff is a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Origin:
Elizabethgrad, Russia

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