A distinguished lawyer, Maurice Podoloff (D. 1985), was a man of impeccable character and instrumental in the development and success of professional basketball. On June 6, 1946, when he was serving as president of the American Hockey League, was appointed president of the newly formed Basketball Association of America (BAA) and became the first person to lead two professional leagues simultaneously. After the BAA signed several of the top names from the National Basketball League, 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.
Offered is a typed letter signed on National Basketball Association League Letterhead from February 25, 1953 as President of the league. He asks William Horstmann, the manager of Chicago Stadium, for the name of the officials that worked a recent college game at the Stadium. RARE letterhead and tough autograph.
Full LOA from PSA/DNA
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