Haskell Cohen (March 12, 1914 – June 28, 2000) was the public relations director of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1950 to 1969.
[1] Podoloff and the majority of team owners were pessimistic that the idea would go bad and taint the league's image.
[5] Before joining the NBA, Cohen was a writer for the Pittsburgh Courier and also a scout for the Duquesne Dukes.
He later teamed up with Cohen, NBA player Jack Twyman and hotel owner Milton Kutsher in 1958 to create the Maurice Stokes charity game.
The game was intended to raise money for Stokes, who had just suffered encephalopathy, a brain injury that damaged his motor control center.
The committee sponsored American participation in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, an Olympic-style competition for Jewish athletes.
[1][7] He held the position until 1989 and in 1991 he received the Hall of Fame Pillar of Achievement, an honor given to a person who have made significant contributions to sports.