Barack Obama is in the consortium for the purchase – Corriere.it

Also check the name of Barack Obama, the former president of the United States, among the possible buyers of the Phoenix Suns. The Arizona team, defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA final of 2021, in fact for sale together with the women’s franchise (the Phoenix Mercury) as a result of the scandal that overwhelmed Robert Sarver, the owner. He will have been found guilty of sexist and racist attitudes and for this reason he was suspended for a year by the NBA and fined 10 million dollars.

But the punishment was judged to be too mild in relation to the documented facts, so the pressures for the sanction to be revised have increased, with the heavy and direct intervention of characters such as LeBron James, Chris Paul (playmaker of the Suns), Draymond Green and other stars. of the professional league. Cos Sarver decided to pass his hand to try, if ever possible, to limit the damage to his image and the consequences of his work. So, in a rather delicate and complicated situation – the team has won 3 games of the first 4 of the new season and tries to think only of the basketball played – the climb to the Arizona Suns has begun. In these cases the indiscretions are wasted but often, after the important name has been shot, the denial arrives.

After the names of Larry Ellison (former Oracle CEO would still be the favorite), Jeff Bezos and his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott have been credited, in the race to conquer the property, the former tenant of the White House also appears. It was written by Ben Simmons, former journalist, now sports analyst, podcaster, author and in 2016 founder of the site The Ringer. Speaking to Charles Barkley, who was a column of the Suns (he was MVP in 1993) and who is now a caustic TV commentator, he confided that Obama involved in a consortium of entrepreneurs of which he would be the cover man. Translation: to put the money others provide, the former president would become the driving force for the image, with obvious advantages in terms of marketing.

The prospect thrilled Barkley himself, who after signing a new $ 200 million contract with TNT for ten years, he would also be ready to put some money on the former team: I admire Obama and if he asked me to acquire a minority stake I would do so immediately. All that remains is to wait: if not roses …