It was reported last month that Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen had sold a considerable amount of stock (an epic buttload, I believe is the technical term) as a precursor to buying the Charlotte New Orleans Hornets and moving them to Seattle. While that story has seemingly stalled, it appears that another billionaire software developer also has visions of purchasing and moving the Hornets, and this time it’s Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. And right about now I feel pretty stupid for playing Number Munchers instead of paying attention in my middle school computer classes.
According to Forbes, Ellison is still motivated to purchase a NBA franchise and move it to San Jose, California, after his quest to purchase the Golden State Warriors failed last summer. Ellison also reportedly tried to buy the Hornets last month, but he was outbid by the NBA, which paid around $300 million for the team. Ellison is now apparently willing to pay $450 million. $150 million more. Must be nice.
Say it ain’t so, San Jose mayor Chuck Reed…
“I think there is a lot of interest in moving a basketball team to San Jose. But at this point, it’s just speculation about what Larry Ellison might be interested in doing,” said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed in response to the Forbes.com article.
Reed insists he’s never had any conversations with Ellison about bringing an NBA team to his city. (Via ABC 7 – San Francisco)
The ABC affiliate says that Ellison has denied the Forbes report without offering a quote, and Forbes also uses an unnamed source, so who the hell knows what’s going on? Either way, when the league purchased the Hornets last month, David Stern said that he would look for a new owner who would keep the team in New Orleans. Then he cackled maniacally, high-fived Clay Bennett and gave Seattle the finger.
