New Hawks ownership group pledges to make Atlanta proud
The new controlling owner of the Atlanta Hawks, Tony Ressler, has promised to invest in the franchise for the long-term.
The man now in charge of the Atlanta Hawks, Tony Ressler, has set out his high expectations for the NBA franchise after his purchase of the team was approved.
A deal, reportedly worth $850million, to sell the Hawks to an ownership group fronted by billionaire Ressler was ratified on Wednesday.
Former owner Bruce Levenson announced his intention to sell the team last year after self-reporting an insensitive email discussing the team's African-American fanbase back in 2012.
Levenson's revelations led to a further scandal surrounding then general manager's Danny Ferry's comments about small forward Luol Deng. Ferry stepped down on Monday after taking a leave of absence in September.
Despite that controversy, the Hawks flourished and won 60 games last season, only to be swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.
"We own both a community asset and a business," Ressler said on Thursday. "Obviously we're going to be committed to doing the best we can to invest in this team for the long term.
"We have a view, a strong view, of what ownership should be. We have a view that ownership should create stability, that ownership should create ample resources for the team to do the best they can, which I think we would describe as winning a championship at some point.
"We hope to make the city proud."
Ressler confirmed on Wednesday that a handshake agreement had been sealed to add team president duties to NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer's role and hire assistant general manager Wes Wilcox as Ferry's replacement.
While Ressler holds the controlling ownership stake of around 50 percent, minority owner and former NBA standout Grant Hill appears set to play a significant role and sat next to Ressler at the media conference.
"I thought from the outside looking in for so many years, why couldn't this be a free agent destination?" Hill said.
"It starts at the top, a commitment from us. We've made a substantial investment into this ballclub and we're going to do what we can to enhance the value, make it more attractive."
