Famous restaurateur Tilman Fertitta achieves his life-long dream after Rockets owner Leslie Alexander sold the franchise for 2.2 billion dollars. According to Yahoo! Sports, the businessmen have reached an agreement, and Alexander couldn't be more content selling the franchise to a Houston investor. The two investors have known each other for 24 years after they competed to buy the Rockets in 1993.
Leslie Alexander, 73, announced his intention to sell the franchise in July. He recently donated $10 million to Sylvester Turner's Hurricane Harvey relief funds.
Speaking to the Houston Chronicle, Alexander said: "I am excited to welcome and pass the torch to Tilman. He is a Houstonian, business leader and committed to the success and excellence of the Rockets both on and off the basketball court."
Tilman Fertitta's quest to acquire the Rockets
Tilman Fertitta, 60, is the chairman and CEO of Landry's Inc. and is also the owner of Golden Nugget Casinos. Among the 50 brands that Fertitta currently manages, some of the most prominent ones include Landry's Seafood, Kemah Boardwalk, McCormick & Schmick's, Morton's The Steakhouse, Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, San Luis Resort, Spa & Conference Center in Galveston. As of September 5, 2016, he is ranked 693 by Forbes billionaires with a net worth of $3.1 billion.
Considering the business acquisition as a life-long dream, Fertitta said he is honored to have been chosen as the next owner of the Rockets franchise. In 1993, Alexander bought the Rockets franchise for a meager $85 million from Charlie Thomas and now, the price has massively increased to a multi billion price. Meanwhile, did you know that Fertitta served as a minority owner of the franchise before selling his stake in 1995?
He achieved this following his bid loss to Leslie in 1993.
Current franchise players
Seeing the Houston Rockets as a championship contender, the management sealed the biggest contract extension to its star player James Harden. In June, they also acquired Chris Paul of the L.A. Clippers. Trade rumors suggested that Carmelo Anthony was willing to waive his no-trade clause with the New York Knicks for Houston, but things did not work out.
Meanwhile, Slam Online reported one of Harden's sweetest promise to a fan; that he will be a Rocket for life. An exchange on Twitter led to James Harden promising that he will stay with the franchise with the hashtag #Rocket4Life.
