link Sources: NBA picks first black owner December 17, 2002 Print it CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Robert Johnson, the billionaire founder of Black Entertainment Television, has been chosen as owner of the NBA's new Charlotte expansion franchise, The Associated Press learned Tuesday night. The 56-year-old Johnson will become the league's first black majority owner, according to two sources familiar with the decision. The league scheduled a news conference Wednesday in New York. Johnson and the other group seeking the team, headed by Boston businessman Steve Belkin and Celtics great Larry Bird, made presentations to the league's expansion committee Monday. Johnson could not immediately be reached for comment, nor could Belkin. Forbes magazine estimated Johnson's wealth at $1.3 billion earlier this year, making him No. 149 on the magazine's list of richest Americans. The franchise is to begin play in the 2004-05 season and replaces the Hornets, who moved to New Orleans earlier this year. After one year at the Charlotte Coliseum, the team will move into a new $260 million downtown arena. The franchise fee is expected to be $300 million. The NBA's full Board of Governors, with a representative from each of the 29 teams, is expected to vote on Johnson in early January. Earlier, Bird said he was confident the league would make the right decision. "You know, I don't know nothing about Johnson," said the former Indiana Pacers coach, who would have been president of basketball operations for the new team. "All I know is that the NBA knows what they're doing. They'll pick a good owner, and whoever gets it I wish them all the luck in the world." The Hornets left Charlotte after years of declining attendance and failed attempts to get a new arena built. The league approved the move, but Charlotte leaders successfully argued that the city, which led the NBA in attendance for eight seasons in the late 1980s and early 1990s, should get a new team. Belkin soon emerged as one contender for the team. Johnson, who had tried twice without success to buy the Hornets from owner George Shinn, also said he would like the franchise. Johnson, who is based in Washington, D.C., insisted all along that his chances would not be hurt by not having a marquee name like Bird in his camp. "What's going to give the edge in marketing is your players and what your team does on the court, no matter who is the head of basketball operations -- even if you have Michael Jordan as the head of basketball operations," Johnson said last week. Jordan and Johnson are friends, raising the possibility that Johnson might be tempted to lure Jordan to the new team if Jordan chooses not to buy back his ownership stake in the Washington Wizards. Jordan has said he won't play after this season, his second with the Wizards. NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik said Johnson did not mention Jordan in his presentation to the expansion committee. Belkin argued that his group of investors would be able to move quickly to get a team ready to play in 2004 and that Bird's fame and popularity would help sell the team to Charlotteans, who were soured on the NBA by the Hornets' departure. The Charlotte team will fill its roster through a dispersal draft in which every other NBA team could protect eight players. Granik has said the new team will not be saddled with the same type of draft restrictions as those imposed on Toronto and Vancouver when the league last expanded in 1995. The Raptors and Grizzlies were ineligible to select first in the draft until they had completed four seasons. One of the owners on the expansion committee is Shinn. Also on the committee are Jerry Colangelo of Phoenix, Larry Tanenbaum of Toronto, Joe Maloof of Sacramento, Lewis Katz of New Jersey, Stan Kroenke of Denver, Peter Holt of San Antonio and Bob Vander Weide of Orlando. Johnson said last week that if he won the team he would sell up to 49 percent of the team to Charlotte investors. Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Good move all around for the NBA. Get a team back into Charlotte with a deep pockets owner while at the same time addressing the problem of no minority owners in the league.
does it really matter that he is black? its not as if black people were prevented from owning franchises. the guy is rich...who cares if he is black.
"Black Entertainement Television" ? Isnt that racist? I mean why not just Entertainment Television? Why do people have to be so aware and self concious about race?
Who cares if he is black? Just about every black person in the media. Example. The Reverend. I think all 29 NBA teams should have their first round pick taken away from them.
seeing as how the executive and ownership positions in professional sports are still believed to be part of the "good ole boy" network... i can safely say that hundreds of thousands of people probably care.
woohoo all those lucrative sports franchises can be now owned by non-white people. i'm sure this will benefit at least 10's of non-white people. and i honestly think the good ole boy network of jobs for executives is fading really fast and is more a product of black people not having the connections and networking that white people have had. once you are in the coaching and executive business you are in for good.
It's good to see that there finally is a minority owner, I'm waiting for the Affirmitive Action quips to come. I doubt people will fully accept that this guy had the better package than Bird to put a team in Charlotte. That's just my 2 cents. It seems pretty stupid to me that Vancouver and Toronto weren't allowed First picks for 4 years. That's kind of stupid to hurt a new franchise before it can establish itself.
dude, you just defined the "good ole boy" network right there. why don't non-whites have those connections? because they've been purposely left out over the decades.
It's great that we have a minority owner in pro basketball. I don't like the fact that he has to stand out BECAUSE HE'S BLACK, but he shouldn't be standing out in the first place. Of course all you need is a guy with a ton of money (and as the owner of BET, he's got it), and this guy, yes, happens to be black. But good for him and good for the league. About time.
Most likely there will be games shown on BET, and that's a good thing seeing as how crappy the current shows are.
Anybody remember that movie where Chris Rock replaces a rich, dead, white guy, and he move into his house. Rock walks up to the most expensive TV in the guys house, trys to turn to the BET channel and the TV tells him that channel "isn't available". Too funny. Just too funny. About time. Bottom line. Good for NBA.
More importantly, what eight players do you protect and who do you think we'll lose. Protected-------------- Francis Mobley Taylor Griffin Yao Cato Mobley Thomas unprotected---------------- moochie Collier Hawkins Morris Maddox Rice replacement
What do you mean does it matter that he's black. Hell yeah, it matters. He's the first black majority owner of a team. That a big accomplishment. Something thats not happened before. It's about time. "Black Entertainement Television" ? Isnt that racist? I mean why not just Entertainment Television? Why do people have to be so aware and self concious about race?
if it were truly fading away fast, this news story wouldn't be as big a deal as it is. its not fading away fast. its still deeply engrained in sports and will be until more Robert Johnson's and Ozzie Newsome's show up.
The big deal is that the NBA is celebrating it's diversity in ownership. It would be the same if it were a woman.
It's Entertainment Television that happens to be Black. I think it's good that Johnson is going to own the team. If he'd had his way, he'd have bought the Hornets before they moved. And I think he'll be a good owner to get the people of Charlotte back to the arena for the NBA.
Earlier on blacks were discriminated against in America and some discrimination exist today towards blacks. It was such a hard struggle to for blacks to get equal opportunities. Considering the fact that toys, commericals, magazines and other media items are designed with people who are white, black people have a right to do stuff for themselves that shows they are as capable of doing anything any other race can regardless of their color.
