The Atlanta Hawks confirmed yesterday that the process of selling the team has begun, a move majority owner Bruce Levenson began in September last year after controversy over allegedly racist remarks.
The Hawks are on a six-game win streak and have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 27-8, trailing only Golden State’s 28-5 mark for the top record in the league this season.
“The Atlanta Hawks today announced that its owners have unanimously approved a plan to sell the franchise and the Philips Arena operating rights,” a statement from the club said. “The sale will commence immediately.”
Hawks owners have retained Goldman Sachs and Inner Circle Sports to advise on the sale of the club and other assets, with the process expected to take several months. NBA owners must approve any sale deal.
Levenson decided to sell his majority interest in the Hawks after his 2012 e-mail became public in which he made comments that included “the black crowd scared away the whites.”
A probe that uncovered the e-mail began in June after Hawks general manager Danny Ferry made remarks about African-born British NBA star Luol Deng during a conference call discussing potential Hawks free-agent options.
Ferry said Deng “has a little African in him” and added: “He’s like a guy who would have a nice store out front and sell you counterfeit stuff out of the back.”
That led to Ferry taking an indefinite leave of absence and calls for his firing.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper reported last week that instead of only a controlling interest, a full 100 percent ownership stake would be available and that several groups have already inquired about the team, including those of former NBA player Grant Hill, former Toronto Raptors top executive Bryan Colangelo and billionaire Sheldon Adelson.
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