Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon revealed that he was approached by several groups interested in purchasing his former team, the Houston Rockets. In Mark Woods’ special report to ESPN.com, Olajuwon said he’s just doing a background check to see if these groups are really capable of buying the Rockets. Olajuwon is currently a team ambassador for the Rockets, whom he led to back to back championships one year after owner Leslie Alexander brought the franchise in 1993 for $85 million. Olajuwon was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.
In a statement, Alexander announced the decision to sell the team after deliberating with family and friends.
He assigned chief executive Tad Brown to oversee the process of selling the team, which is now valued between $1.6 billion and $2 billion. Mark Berman of Fox 26 reported that Brown and the front office will take their time in finding the right buyer for the Rockets, who reached the Western Conference Semifinal last season behind MVP runner-up James Harden.
Alexander’s announcement came as a surprise since the Rockets are heading into one of their most anticipated seasons with the acquisition of veteran point guard Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers traded Paul to the Rockets for Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Lou Williams and a 2018 first round pick.
It was earlier reported that former Houston center and Hall of Famer Yao Ming was interested in buying the Rockets.
However, Yao denied the report to Xinhua News Agency, saying he has no time to potentially buy the Rockets. He also wished the organization the "best of luck" during the sale process. Yao’s stint with the Rockets made them the most popular team in China.
Olajuwon believes Rockets a championship team last season
Olajuwon, who now lives in the United Kingdom, said the Rockets were a championship team last season but they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the West Semifinals.
The retired center said the Rockets could have given the Golden State Warriors a good fight. The Warriors swept the Spurs, who played the last three games of the series without the injured Kawhi Leonard.
Beyonce also interested in buying stake with Rockets
According to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg, singer Beyonce is interested in becoming a part of an ownership group that will bid for the Rockets.
Soshnick said Beyonce could be an asset by adding “superstar sizzle” to any ownership group and can help in marketing the team locally and internationally. Beyonce’s husband, rapper Jay-Z, had a stake with the Brooklyn Nets but he was forced to sell it after starting Roc Nation Sports, an agency that represents professional players.
