Maurice Podoloff (Yiddish: מוריס פודולוף; August 18, 1890 – November 24, 1985[1]) was an American lawyer and a basketball and ice hockey administrator.
Doubt remains about birthplace and birthday; some claim he was born in Yelisavetgrad,[2] but he himself said he did not know exactly: "I guess they didn't keep records in Russia in those days", he said.
The Arena held over 4,000 people and hosted ice hockey, concerts, and circus events before it was demolished in 1974.
His great organizational and administrative skills were later regarded as the key factor that kept the league alive in its often stormy formative years.
He introduced the BAA's collegiate draft in 1947, and in 1954 instituted the NBA's 24-second shot clock created by Dan Biasone, owner of the Syracuse Nationals, and his executive vice-president, Leo Ferris, which quickened the pace of games and improved NBA basketball from a slow plodding game to a fast-paced sport.