Pokevette
01-09-2008, 10:36 AM
Interesting news regarding the OKC NBA prospects...
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Group of Seattle Women to Buy Storm
Wednesday January 9, 12:26 pm ET
By Tim Booth, AP Sports Writer
WNBA's Seattle Storm to Be Sold to Group of Seattle Women for $10 Million
SEATTLE (AP) -- A group of Seattle women, led by former Deputy Mayor Anne Levinson, will buy the WNBA Seattle Storm from SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett for $10 million. The purchase option for the franchise was finalized in the last few days, ensuring the Storm will remain in Seattle, while Bennett continues his push to move the SuperSonics to his hometown of Oklahoma City.
"How big is the smile on my face today?" Storm CEO Karen Bryant asked. Bryant, who is not part of the ownership group, will remain with the Storm in her current role.
One current and one former Microsoft Corp. executive, and an entrepreneur round out the purchase group, disclosed Tuesday.
The group, calling itself Force 10 Hoops, has until the end of February to close the sale and would need approval of the WNBA board of governors for the standalone franchise.
Levinson, who led the negotiations, said the group was doing it for Storm fans and the community.
The others in Force 10 Hoops are Ginny Gilder, an investment business owner who won a silver medal at the L.A. Olympics; Lisa Brummel, senior vice president of human resources at Microsoft and a Yale softball player; and Dawn Trudeau, who formerly headed Microsoft's database division and now works with non-profits.
Seattle SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett has owned both teams since July 2006. Bennett's group has filed with the NBA to relocate the Sonics to Bennett's hometown of Oklahoma City.
When Bennett took over ownership, he said he had no intention of splitting the franchises. But last September, he said he might be willing to split the two teams or keep the Storm in Seattle, even if the Sonics were to move. At that time he said the Storm would play the 2008 season in Seattle, but made no commitments beyond that.
The Storm would be the seventh WNBA team independently owned, joining Atlanta, Chicago, Connecticut, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington. They are the third team with a majority female ownership, along with Washington and Los Angeles.
The Seattle team has been successful in its eight years in existence, highlighted by its 2004 WNBA title, the first professional sports title in the city since the 1979 SuperSonics won the NBA championship.
The team has averaged more than 7,000 fans per game each season and reached the playoffs the last three years. Each of those seasons ended with first-round playoff losses, and in late November, head coach and director of player personnel Anne Donovan abruptly resigned.
Seattle has only four players under contract for the 2008 season, including league MVP Lauren Jackson. All-Star Sue Bird is a free agent, but has continually expressed her intention to return to Seattle if the team were to stay.
Bryant said an announcement on the new head coach could come as early as Wednesday.
___________________________________________
Group of Seattle Women to Buy Storm
Wednesday January 9, 12:26 pm ET
By Tim Booth, AP Sports Writer
WNBA's Seattle Storm to Be Sold to Group of Seattle Women for $10 Million
SEATTLE (AP) -- A group of Seattle women, led by former Deputy Mayor Anne Levinson, will buy the WNBA Seattle Storm from SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett for $10 million. The purchase option for the franchise was finalized in the last few days, ensuring the Storm will remain in Seattle, while Bennett continues his push to move the SuperSonics to his hometown of Oklahoma City.
"How big is the smile on my face today?" Storm CEO Karen Bryant asked. Bryant, who is not part of the ownership group, will remain with the Storm in her current role.
One current and one former Microsoft Corp. executive, and an entrepreneur round out the purchase group, disclosed Tuesday.
The group, calling itself Force 10 Hoops, has until the end of February to close the sale and would need approval of the WNBA board of governors for the standalone franchise.
Levinson, who led the negotiations, said the group was doing it for Storm fans and the community.
The others in Force 10 Hoops are Ginny Gilder, an investment business owner who won a silver medal at the L.A. Olympics; Lisa Brummel, senior vice president of human resources at Microsoft and a Yale softball player; and Dawn Trudeau, who formerly headed Microsoft's database division and now works with non-profits.
Seattle SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett has owned both teams since July 2006. Bennett's group has filed with the NBA to relocate the Sonics to Bennett's hometown of Oklahoma City.
When Bennett took over ownership, he said he had no intention of splitting the franchises. But last September, he said he might be willing to split the two teams or keep the Storm in Seattle, even if the Sonics were to move. At that time he said the Storm would play the 2008 season in Seattle, but made no commitments beyond that.
The Storm would be the seventh WNBA team independently owned, joining Atlanta, Chicago, Connecticut, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington. They are the third team with a majority female ownership, along with Washington and Los Angeles.
The Seattle team has been successful in its eight years in existence, highlighted by its 2004 WNBA title, the first professional sports title in the city since the 1979 SuperSonics won the NBA championship.
The team has averaged more than 7,000 fans per game each season and reached the playoffs the last three years. Each of those seasons ended with first-round playoff losses, and in late November, head coach and director of player personnel Anne Donovan abruptly resigned.
Seattle has only four players under contract for the 2008 season, including league MVP Lauren Jackson. All-Star Sue Bird is a free agent, but has continually expressed her intention to return to Seattle if the team were to stay.
Bryant said an announcement on the new head coach could come as early as Wednesday.