Ike Richman

Ike Richman
Born	Isaac Richman 1913 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	(1965-12-03)December 3, 1965 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Temple University
Occupations	Attorney Sports team owner
Known for	Co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers
Spouse	Clare Richman
Children	Michael Richman, Sybil Richman, David Richman

Isaac Richman (1913-1965) was an American lawyer and sports executive. He was the personal attorney for National Basketball Association player Wilt Chamberlain and a co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers from 1963 until his death in 1965. ^[1]

Biography

Richman was born in 1913 in Philadelphia. He graduated from South Philadelphia High School, where he was a classmate of Irv Kosloff, his future partner in the 76ers. ^[2] He graduated from Temple University and the Temple University School of Law. ^[3]

He worked as an attorney in Philadelphia and ultimately became Chamberlain's attorney, negotiating the player’s first contract with the Philadelphia Warriors. ^[4] In his autobiography, Chamberlain called Richman a "second father". ^[1]

In 1962, Franklin Mieuli acquired a share of the team and relocated it to the San Francisco Bay Area. With no team in the Philadelphia area, Richman sought to acquire the Syracuse Nationals. He convinced Kosloff to invest the purchase price of between $500,000 and $600,000. In late 1962, the pair relocated the team to Philadelphia and renamed it the 76ers. ^[2] As part of the deal, Richman became operating head of the franchise.

After receiving Chamberlain back via a trade with the Warriors, the player threatened to retire if he did not receive more money. In order to retain Chamberlain, Richman, who had a 50 percent share of the 76ers, offered Chamberlain half of his own share, which would make Chamberlain a 25 percent owner of the team upon his retirement. ^[5] Because the agreement was against league rules, it was never put in writing and Chamberlain never received his share of the team. On December 3, 1965, Richman was in Boston for a game between the Celtics and the 76ers when he died from a heart attack during the game. Kosloff refused to honor Richman’s agreement with the player. ^{[1] [3]}

Personal life

Richman had two sons, Michael and David, and one daughter, Sybil. ^[6] His grandson, Ike Richman, was born seven weeks after his death and worked for the 76ers for 29 years in public relations. ^{[7] [8]}

References

1. "Wilt Chamberlain's Trade to Los Angeles, 50 Years Later". The Ringer. 2018-07-09.
2. Lynch, Wayne (2002-02-21). Season of the 76ers: The Story of Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 NBA Champion. ISBN   9781429977135.
3. "Richman, Owner of the 76rs, Dies After Coronary at Game". New York Times. 1965-12-04.
4. "Wilt Chamberlain's Jewish role models". Jewish News Service. 2013-10-13.
5. Jones, Gordon (2014-11-01). "100 Things 76ers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die". ISBN   9781623682811.
6. Richman, David (2018). Wilt, Ike & Me. Scotts Valley, California: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN   978-1975914257.
7. "Ike Richman's Center of Attention". Jewish Exponent. 2016-03-23.
8. "After 29 Years Ike Richman Leaving Comcast Spectacor". Amplify. 2017-09-18.