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NEWS > SPORTS > DESPITE HARD WORK AND MASSIVE WEALTH WIZARDS OWNER DIES AT 85
DESPITE HARD WORK AND MASSIVE WEALTH WIZARDS OWNER DIES AT 85
November 24 2009
Washington, D.C. – The American Dream is something many people fantasize about but few ever get the chance to achieve. If one were to tell the story of Abe Pollin it would so exactly match the ideal of that dream that few would imagine it was true. 
True it was though and Pollin, best known for being the owner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, lived that tale to the best of his ability making himself and his family wealthy in the process.
When Pollin first arrived on the shores of America he was a simple eight year old boy. Speaking only Russian and the son of a metal worker, the glitter of his new country must have seemed very bright indeed. Over the decades Pollin became a successful businessman which he then translated into philanthropy and eventually sports ownership, becoming the owner of not only the Wizards but also the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. For Pollin the American dream was real. His humble beginnings had, through hard work, made him a respected millionaire, loved by his adopted city and by the cultural elite who no doubt would have sneered upon his family when they first arrived. Despite all that success though, Pollin was not able to avoid death which finally came to claim him at the age of 85.
“When I was a little kid, we moved to New York for a while.We had an uncle that passed. We lived with my grandmother. And we moved in, and my father was working a little bit in New York, and we would go across the street and get the newspapers that came out in the middle of the night when the Bullets were playing Seattle,” said Washington Redskins Owner Dan Snyder. “It goes way back. I mean, if you're a Washingtonian, you have to have loved Abe Pollin. That said I’m going to do my best to ensure that I don’t fall into the same traps as he did. Everyone in this city, more or less, loved Abe Pollin but we all knew that one day his behaviour was going to get him in trouble and now we can see that it finally caught up to him. We’ll miss Abe, but we’ll also learn from him.”
Pollin eventually succumbed to a rare neurological disease, the causes of which were never discovered but are believed to somehow involve his long life.
“Abe Pollin gave me great opportunities to learn the game from the other side of the ball and that made me very happy. There were some issues at the end and a lot of fans got upset about it but I always respected Abe and always will even though he’s dead now,” mumbled one-time Wizards part-owner and player Michael Jordan. “I’m not going to say thing about maybe coming back now that I have a little more opportunity but it’s an idea. Abe just passed so I think it’s a little early to start talking about another comeback but maybe, just maybe."
Jordan will turn 47 in February, well beyond the age most basketball players could be considered in their prime, but still not dead.
“Inevitably no matter how much wealth or good will he accumulated Pollin was eventually going to die. There are many techniques that can prolong a person’s life but science has still not figured out a way to make people immortal no matter how wealthy you are or how much you personify the American Dream,” said Scrape TV Health analyst Rebecca Phelps. “Pollin probably realized that, or at least felt something along those lines deep in his heart. He knew this ride wasn’t going to last forever no matter how many protestations to the contrary. He knew the reaper was coming for him and that there was nothing he could do to stop it.”
Pollin is survived by his wife Irene, two sons and two grandsons all of whom are expected to die at some point.
Alexi Orton, Sports Correspondent
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