Hawks Owner Bruce Levenson Will Sell Team After Admission Of A Racist Email

Move over Clippers, there’s another team caught in the middle of a race scandal. This time it’s the Atlanta Hawks and their owner Bruce Levenson, who will now be selling his team after the admission of a racist email he wrote in 2012. The announcement was made earlier today. Ironically, Levenson was one of the NBA owners who spoke out against Donald Sterling.

The email in question was sent in 2012. Apparently, in an attempt to figure out why the Hawks had such a low attendance at their games, Levenson sent out an email where he stereotyped, classified and said several things one would likely find offensive. In a statement Levenson explains the email saying, “I’ve talked with team executives about the need for the Hawks to build a more diverse fan base that includes more suburban whites, and I shared my thoughts on why our efforts to bridge Atlanta’s racial sports divide seemed to be failing. In trying to address those issues, I wrote an e-mail two years ago that was inappropriate and offensive. I trivialized our fans by making cliched 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.”

Levenson says he voluntarily reported the email to the NBA, admitting that he believes the NBA should have a zero-tolerance policy for racism. “If you’re angry about what I wrote, you should be. I’m angry at myself, too. It was inflammatory nonsense. We all may have subtle biases and preconceptions when it comes to race, but my role as a leader is to challenge them, not to validate or accommodate those who might hold them.” Levenson  co-operated with the investigation and after a meeting in NYC including NBA owners last week discussing the issue, decided it was in the best interest of the team to sell his controlling interest in the franchise. 

Only few owners and top executives were aware of investigation. Several started to hear over weekend that an owner was in imminent trouble. Something tells me there is a lot more to the story. I don’t believe that Levenson willingly turned himself in. Why would he? Something tells me that someone blackmailed him into doing so and this was his way of saving face. Another possible V. Stiviano situation? I wouldn’t doubt it.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement regarding the Levenson decision which you can read in full HERE.

Updated: Below is an excerpt from the email. Was it racist?