Levenson to Sell His Portion of Atlanta Hawks; City Will be Involved in Sale

The next majority owner of the Atlanta Hawks -- whether it’s legend Dominique Wilkins or someone else -- needs to pledge that the NBA team will remain in the city, says Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.

Atlanta Hawks owner Bruce Levenson plans to sell his share of the team after an email sent by him in 2012 surfaced containing racially charged comments. Reed said in a Tuesday press conference that the city will be heavily involved in the sale of the team.

“The city is going to play an important role in the buyer who purchases Mr. Levenson’s interest,” Reed said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Obviously, we have a vital interest as the owner of Philips Arena and the holder of the debt on Philips Arena in making sure that we get a terrific partner in the city of Atlanta.

The mayor says the city wants the next team owner to make a long-term commitment to keep the Atlanta Hawks in the city of Atlanta, AJC reports.

The Atlanta Hawks is estimated to be worth $425 million, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins, who attended Tuesday’s press conference, said he had an interest in purchasing the team, AJC reports. It is not known whether he is one of the six potential buyers Reed has spoken to already.

But Wilkins may have already been pre-approved for ownership by the NBA, according to TMZ.

What Prompted Team Sale?

In the email sent in 2012, Levenson expresses discontent with the team’s predominantly black attendance, Patch previously reported. He proposed several ways to increase the franchise’s appeal to white fans.

A portion of this email, released by ESPN.com, appears below:

“I think southern whites simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority” and “I have been open with our executive team about these concerns. I have told them I want some white cheerleaders and while I don’t care what the color of the artist is, I want the music to be music familiar to a 40 year old white guy if that’s our season [tickets] demo. I have also balked when every fan picked out of crowd to shoot shots in some timeout contest is black. I have even [complained] that the kiss cam is too black.”

Levenson owns 24 percent of the team, but his partner Ed Peskowitz has also agreed to sell his share, according to USA Today. Over 50 percent of the team is available for purchase.

Mayor Reed has had conversations with six prospective buyers, according to USA Today.

“All six of those prospective buyers will have to go through a process to be vetted by the NBA,” Mayor Reed said. “That process is going to occur very quickly.

>>Photo Credit: The Atlanta Hawks