Throughout his career at Duke and in the NBA, Grant Hill racked up an impressive list of accomplishments and accolades. Owning a franchise would give the former Blue Devil star yet another.
Hill, along with billionaire Antony Ressler and Atlanta-based Spanx founder Sara Blakely, finalized a deal to purchase the Atlanta Hawks for around $850 million Wednesday. In order to make the deal official, the sale must be approved by 75 percent of the NBA's owners.
Hill's ownership stake in the team is expected to be minimal, USA Today reported Wednesday.
Led by Ressler, the group will take the Hawks from current co-owner Bruce Levenson, who decided to sell the team due to a controversial email with racial undertones he sent to general manager Danny Ferry in 2012. In the email, the former owner claimed that the large black fan base at Hawks home games has made "Southern whites" uncomfortable and prevented the franchise from accumulating large season ticket revenue.
The purchase—and Hill's role in it—received support from one of the most prominent voices in basketball late Wednesday.
Hill was also part of a Ressler-led group that explored purchasing the Los Angeles Clippers from Donald Sterling in May 2014. The Clippers were eventually sold to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.
Although he may not lace up his sneakers for the Blue Devils anymore, Hill still remains heavily involved in basketball at the collegiate and professional level. The former Duke forward spent much of the spring time calling tournament games for CBS—including every Blue Devil victory in this year's national title run.
The Hawks are coming off their best regular season in franchise history and currently lead the Brooklyn Nets 2-0 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
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