Five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber has joined a potential ownership group that is interested in purchasing the Atlanta Hawks, Yahoo! Sports reported. The group recently submitted a letter of interest to the NBA regarding the Atlanta franchise.
League sources told Yahoo Sports that Webber's financial investment in the partnership would be minimal, but that he would act as the face of the bid with an eventual goal of becoming an active figure on the basketball side of the Hawks.
The primary investors have not become public as of yet, but their identities are expected to be revealed soon.
"Webber, 41, has had a home in Atlanta for the past decade and has been working to connect with community officials and organizations to make a case for reselling the organization to an increasingly dubious public," Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports wrote.
Atlanta is in the midst of finding new ownership after current owner Bruce Levenson admitted to making racially insensitive remarks in emails. The Hawks have also come under public scrutiny for racially-charged comments made by general manager Danny Ferry when discussing then-free agent Luol Deng. Ferry has since taken a leave of absence, and is not expected to return to his duties.
These incidents follow the inappropriate racial comments made by former Los Angeles Clippers' owner Donald Sterling during the off-season. Sterling was banned from the NBA for life and forced to sell the team.
Webber has been working as a television analyst for NBA TV and TNT, based out of Atlanta, for several years. The former No. 1 overall draft pick enjoyed a 15-year career that included stops in Golden State, Washington, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Detroit.
