Former Nugget Dikembe Mutombo is reportedly interested in purchasing the Atlanta Hawks. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)
Former Nuggets center Dikembe Mutombo has met with a group of investors about joining their bid to buy the Atlanta Hawks, .
The group, which may include other former NBA players, the AJC reports, is said have started the preliminary work to bid for the team and hopes to soon meet with the commissioner’s office.
Hawks owner Bruce Levenson and his Washington partner Ed Peskowitz both agreed to , worth a 50.1 percent majority stake, after an email Levenson sent in 2012 theorizing that many whites would not attend their games because of the team’s African-American fans was unveiled. Shortly after news broke of Levenson’s racially charged email, a recording of GM Danny Ferry’s were published.
Former player turned analyst Chris Webber his intention to purchase the team as part of The Webber Group, while Hawks great Dominique Wilkins is also said to have expressed interest in bidding for the team.
Atlanta’s mayor, Kasim Reed, said in September that he had and that he expects a sale to go through quickly.
Mutombo was drafted fourth overall by the Nuggets in 1991 and instantly became the face of the franchise, averaging a team-high 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks his rookie season. He spent five seasons with the Nuggets, racking up three all-star appearances and a Defensive Player of the Year award while leading the league in blocks three seasons.
His most impressive feat, however, came when he led the Nuggets to a first-round playoff upset over the No. 1-seeded SuperSonics in five games. The Nuggets overcame a 2-0 deficit before winning three straight games against Seattle to become the first No. 8 seed in history to topple a No. 1 seed. Even though the Nuggets went on to lose to the Jazz in the next round, Denver’s upset and the image of Mutombo falling to the floor while clutching the ball after the Game 5 victory remains etched in Nuggets history.
In 1996, Mutombo signed with Atlanta as a free agent where he spent another five seasons before being traded to Philadelphia.
Over his 18-year career, in which he played for six different teams, Mutombo was an eight-time all-star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year. His 3,289 blocks are second on the NBA’s all-time list, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon.
