ATLANTA (AP) – A person familiar with the situation says a group headed by billionaire Antony Ressler has agreed on an $850 million deal to purchase the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the sale had not been officially announced.
Word of the planned sale, first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, came Wednesday shortly before the Hawks faced the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of their playoff series.
The Hawks went on the market after the discovery of an inflammatory email written by co-owner Bruce Levenson in 2012, complaining about the racial makeup of the team’s fans. On the heels of Donald Sterling’s forced ouster as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Levenson announced he would sell the Hawks.