Will sell Atlanta Hawks

Levenson, controlling owner of Atlanta Hawks, will sell his interest in the team. He makes the decision after reporting to the NBA that he sent a racist e-mail to the Hawk’s President Danny Ferry in August 2012. Hawks CEO Steve Koonin will now be in charge of operations. Levenson:

I wrote an e-mail two years ago that was inappropriate and offensive. I trivialized our fans by making clichéd assumptions about their interests (i.e., hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) and by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e., that white fans might be afraid of our black fans). By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans.