Short answers, pulled from the story.
Maurice Podoloff was born on or about the 18th of August 1890 to a Russian Jewish family in the Russian Empire. Doubt remains about his exact birthplace and birthday even today with some sources claiming he was born in Yelisavetgrad while others suggest Ukraine near Odessa.
On the 6th of June 1946 Maurice Podoloff became president of the newly formed Basketball Association of America while already serving as president of the American Hockey League. This made him the first person to lead two professional leagues simultaneously before negotiating a merger that created the National Basketball Association in 1949.
In 1954 Maurice Podoloff instituted the NBA's 24-second shot clock created by Dan Biasone and Leo Ferris to quicken the pace of games from slow plodding play to fast-paced sport. He also introduced the BAA's collegiate draft in 1947 to recruit new talent systematically and increased national recognition of the league immensely by landing its first television contract.
During his NBA presidency Maurice Podoloff meted out lifetime suspensions to 32 players involved in a point shaving scandal in 1951 to protect league integrity against corruption threats. Among these players were Indianapolis Olympians Ralph Beard and Alex Groza for their actions at University of Kentucky and Gene Melchiorre was also suspended for his actions at Bradley University despite being the 1951 number one draft pick.
Fan interest grew significantly under his direction before he stepped down in 1963 after years of growth. In his honor the NBA named its annual league Most Valuable Player trophy the Maurice Podoloff Trophy until 2022 and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1974, the American Hockey League Hall of Fame in 2011, and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1989.