Melvin Simon, co-owner of the National Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers and one of the largest US shopping mall firms, has died aged 82.
Together with younger brother Herb, Simon operated an Indianapolis-based group which managed and developed more than 250 properties in 37 states and backed the Pacers, an elite-level team in a state known for loving basketball.
"Melvin was a very dear friend and golfing buddy," said Larry Bird, a retired NBA star and the Pacers' president of basketball operations.
"He is a true legend to this city, not only for the visible things that everyone sees each day, but because he was a man who cared about people. He is one of this country?s greatest success stories, a man who is a true example of the American Dream.
"I will miss him and the Pacers? family will miss him."
Before the city had obtained the National Football League Colts or become the headquarters of US collegiate sport, the Simons took a chance by pumping money into the struggling Pacers to keep the city's only major-league sports team from leaving town.
"He?s one of the major reasons Indianapolis is a major league city in many different ways," Pacers president Jim Morris said.
Under Simon's reign, the Pacers reached the 2000 NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers but cementing the now-retired Reggie Miller's place as an NBA star.
"My heart is very heavy," Miller said. "Mel Simon was a great owner but more importantly a loving and giving friend."
Copyright 2009 AFP American Edition
