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 The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

from 1963 until his death in 1965.

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. He graduated from Temple University and the

Temple University School of Law The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law is the law school of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1895 and enrolls about 530 students. Student body Admission for fall 2019 entering class was highly com ...

. He worked as an attorney in Philadelphia and ultimately became Chamberlain's attorney, negotiating the player’s first contract with the

Philadelphia Warriors The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden St ...

. In his autobiography, Chamberlain called Richman a "second father". In 1962,

Franklin Mieuli Franklin Mieuli ( ; September 14, 1920 – April 25, 2010) was a San Francisco Bay Area radio and television producer who was best known as the principal owner of the San Francisco / Golden State Warriors from 1962 to 1986. The pinnacle of ...

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. 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. 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.

Personal life

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richman, Ike 1913 births 1965 deaths American sports owners People from Philadelphia Philadelphia 76ers owners Temple University alumni