He brought Seattle its first professional sports franchise in 1967, an absentee owner in only a geographic sense.

Sam Schulman also brought a little bit of Hollywood to Seattle. He was a movie mogul whose Sonics hit the heights when they beat the Washington Bullets in five games for the 1979 NBA title. It remains Seattle's only modern-day pro sports championship.

Schulman died Thursday in Beverly Hills. He was 93.

Schulman was brought to Seattle by Dick Vertlieb and Don Richman, USC fraternity brothers who were looking for investors to bankroll a team. They saw the success Schulman and partner Eugene Klein had in pro football, buying the Chargers and moving the franchise to San Diego.

Schulman signed on with the Sonics. He bought a condo in the Seattle area, and the move brought a few stars north for a game or two. Sally Struthers and Dyan Cannon were guests. Wolfgang Puck came, too, back before he was an international brand name and simply a renowned restaurateur.