Abe Pollin timeline

1945: Abe Pollin graduates from George Washington University.

1957: Pollin leaves the family construction business and starts his own construction company.

Oct 24, 1964: Pollin and two other investors buy the Baltimore Bullets for $1.1 million, a record amount at the time for an NBA franchise.

Dec. 2, 1973: The Capital Centre opens in Landover as the new home of the Bullets; the franchise is renamed the Washington Bullets at the end of the season.

October 1974: The Washington Capitals, an expansion NHL franchise Pollin acquired, begins its first season.

June 7, 1978: The Washington Bullets win their only NBA championship, defeating the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.

Feb. 22, 1996: Pollin announces his NBA team will change its name to the Washington Wizards to start the 1997-98 season.

Dec. 2, 1997: MCI Center (later Verizon Center), a new downtown arena Pollin built for $200 million, opens in Chinatown.

May 12, 1999: Pollin sells the Washington Capitals and a portion of Washington Sports & Entertainment to Lincoln Holdings, a group led by AOL executive Ted Leonsis.

Jan. 19, 2000: Pollin welcomes former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan as a part-owner and president of basketball operations of the Wizards. A year and a half later, Jordan leaves retirement and joins the Wizards on the court.

May 7, 2003: Pollin severs ties with Jordan, who had intended to return to the team’s front office.

Dec. 3, 2007: On Pollin’s 84th birthday, the District renames F Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets NW - next to Verizon Center - Abe Pollin Way.

Tuesday: Nine days shy of his 86th birthday, Pollin, the longest-tenured owner in the NBA, dies at his home in Bethesda.