Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed says he expects the Atlanta Hawks will have a new owner within the next two months.
Reed said after Yom Kippur is over, he plans to meet with owner Bruce Levenson about selling the Hawks and having new ownership by the end of the year.
Reed said it took 110 days for Donald Sterling to sell his Los Angeles basketball team, and he did not want to sell it. He said with a more cooperative process, they should be able to move forward and sell the team.
“We have a goal of getting this done by the end of the year, so we would like to move forward and have a new owner in place by the end of the year,” said Reed.
Reed said selling by the end of the year is also feasible because there are already parties interested in buying the team.
“I can’t reveal the names, but I can share two of the potential owners are international or outside of the United States,” said Reed.
He also said there are interested buyers in Atlanta.
ATLANTA — Levenson said he would sell the team after an email from two years ago was released, where he questioned if the large number of African-American fans at Hawks games were scaring away potential white season ticket holders, and why there were so many black cheerleaders on the Hawks' squad.
Reed said he is ready to find new owners, especially after the NBA commissioner reassured him the team will not leave Atlanta.
“The bottom line is, we have people with the resources and means to buy the team. That element is in place. The NBA is supportive of the team remaining in the city of Atlanta,” said Reed.
The mayor said he plans to talk with Levenson within the next 10 days.
WSBTV
