Some very sad news via Michael Lee -- Abe Pollin, the longtime owner of the Wizards, has passed away at age 85.
Sad news from Washington. I just heard that Wizards owner Abe Pollin has died at age 85. No details yet, but he passed this afternoon.
I'm truly stunned. We all knew he was struggling healthwise, but this definitely came out of nowhere. My condolences go to the Pollin family for their loss.
I'll have more to write some other time, when I have a chance to gather my thoughts. All I can say for now is this: Abe Pollin was professional basketball in this city. He was a truly titanic presence, the rare owner that cared so much about others. He built a new arena in downtown DC, initially out of his own pocket, to try to revitalize a decaying area of the city that needed new life. He has given tremendous amounts of money to charity and done numerous great deeds that are too many to count.
In short, this is a monumental loss for the NBA and for the Wizards fan community. We should all take a moment to truly appreciate the great man that Abe Pollin was.
RIP.