The Atlanta Hawks fianlly got what they’ve wanted all along, a new start. After the NBA unanimously approved the sale of the Hawks franchise to a group led by Tony Ressler at its board of governors earlier today. Adam Silver released a statement on the topic, via NBA.com:
“We are pleased that the NBA’s Board of Governors has approved the purchase of the Atlanta Hawks by principal owner Tony Ressler,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “Tony and his diverse and experienced ownership group will bring tremendous energy and passion to the Hawks and the team and its fans will greatly benefit from their commitment to the Atlanta community.”
In the group that partnered up with Ressler is NBA All-Star Grant Hill. The group announced their purchase a couple of months ago in April. The Atlanta Hawks were officially sold for $850 million. The purchase of the franchise came amid heavy controversy. The Hawks were up for sale after previous owner Bruce Levenson was caught sending extremely racist emails as part of an internal investigation. This happened just months after the horrible news about Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his racism issues. The NBA was already on high alert when it came to racism after the Sterling case and the Levenson incident just added to it. The Hawks were put on sale immediately after the reports came out.
Not only have the Hawks been bought by a new group but there have also been more significant changes taking place in the last couple days. Danny Ferry officially stepped down as the Hawks general manager and they got a fresh look with their new uniform design last night. Atlanta is looking to build on a successful season last year and all these changes are welcoming in a new era full of promise.
