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New Hawks owner is first Hispanic boss in NBA
Source: Agencies |
August 10, 2011, Wednesday
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THE new owner of the Atlanta Hawks said on Monday he would do all he could to bring a National Basketball Association championship to a city that has made the playoffs the last four years but never clinched the title.
Alex Meruelo reached a sale agreement for a majority ownership stake in the Hawks and the Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta that hosts the team. The deal is subject to approval by the NBA Board of Governors, and financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"My focus is one focus: to bring a championship back to Atlanta. My focus is on the basketball team, my heart and my soul and that's where I want to be," Meruelo told his first news conference at Philips Arena.
Meruelo, a Cuban-American who made a fortune with the La Pizza Loca fast food chain in southern California, choked up as he described his pride at being the first Hispanic owner of a basketball franchise.
Meruelo described himself as a "1,000 percent Hawks fan" but gave no details of how he would address the team's management, staffing or players - issues critical to fans.
In particular, he said nothing about Joe Johnson, the team's highest paid player who has been criticized for a failure of leadership as the team has four times reached the playoffs only to fall short before the Eastern Conference final.
The Meruelo Group bought the Hawks from the Atlanta Spirit, a group of executives who also owned the Atlanta Thrashers ice hockey team until they sold it in May.
Alex Meruelo reached a sale agreement for a majority ownership stake in the Hawks and the Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta that hosts the team. The deal is subject to approval by the NBA Board of Governors, and financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"My focus is one focus: to bring a championship back to Atlanta. My focus is on the basketball team, my heart and my soul and that's where I want to be," Meruelo told his first news conference at Philips Arena.
Meruelo, a Cuban-American who made a fortune with the La Pizza Loca fast food chain in southern California, choked up as he described his pride at being the first Hispanic owner of a basketball franchise.
Meruelo described himself as a "1,000 percent Hawks fan" but gave no details of how he would address the team's management, staffing or players - issues critical to fans.
In particular, he said nothing about Joe Johnson, the team's highest paid player who has been criticized for a failure of leadership as the team has four times reached the playoffs only to fall short before the Eastern Conference final.
The Meruelo Group bought the Hawks from the Atlanta Spirit, a group of executives who also owned the Atlanta Thrashers ice hockey team until they sold it in May.
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