It is clear prospective Hawks Owner Tony Ressler "has known for a long time what he wanted to buy with some of his personal fortune: a professional sports franchise," according to a profile by Tim Tucker of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Ressler first "tried to buy" the Dodgers and then the Clippers, but ultimately he "bought a small stake" in the Brewers. Ressler also "showed interest in other NBA teams when they were on the market." Those who know him "don’t think for a second that Ressler would spend hundreds of millions of dollars on the Hawks if he didn’t consider the franchise a strong investment with potential for generating a handsome return." Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio: "I think he’s buying it more out of passion, but sports has been a very good asset play for a long time. Tony is disciplined, so I don’t think he’s buying this to lose money. ... If he didn’t have a stellar outlook for the NBA, and/or if the city wasn’t right, I don’t think he would do it.” Warriors co-Owner Peter Guber, who knows Ressler well, said, "Basketball holds a particular charm for him. He has told me he likes the dynamics of basketball, he likes the tempo of it, he likes the fact it attracts a diverse audience and a young crowd. … He knows the league, knows other owners" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 4/26).
SOUND INVESTMENT: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Shasha Dai noted Ressler "joins a long and expanding list of private equity practitioners who count NBA teams among their personal holdings," inclusing Bucks co-Owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens, 76ers co-Owners David Blitzer and Josh Harris, Pistons Owner Tom Gores and Celtics co-Owner & Managing Partner Steve Pagliuca. Georgetown professor Jimmy Lynn said that basketball deals, if priced correctly, "make good economic sense, pointing out the potential to expand the teams’ reach in countries like China and Taiwan." Lynn: “This is a sport that’s globally popular. From [a price-to-earnings] perspective, it’s a good investment" (
WSJ.com, 4/24).
