Last August 2012, Atlanta Hawks owner, Bruce Levenson sent an email to Hawks President Danny Ferry saying that the Hawks fanbase are heavily African-American and that it drives away the whites.
The news made headlines right after Levenson turned himself in to the NBA Organization announcing that he will be selling hi stakes because of his actions.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced in a statement Sunday saying "Prior to the completion of the investigation, Mr. Levenson notified me last evening that he had decided to sell his controlling interest in the Atlanta Hawks. s Mr. Levenson acknowledged, the views he expressed are entirely unacceptable and are in stark contrast to the core principles of the National Basketball Association. He shared with me how truly remorseful he is for using those hurtful words and how apologetic he is to the entire NBA family - fans, players, team employees, business partners and fellow team owners - for having diverted attention away from our game."
Silver admired Levenson for opening up about the matter as well as for his honesty. He said "I commend Mr. Levenson for self-reporting to the league office, for being fully cooperative with the league and its independent investigator, and for putting the best interests of the Hawks, the Atlanta community, and the NBA first."
Levenson sent a statement apologizing for his actions. He said "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."
He said that he beligves that NBA should not tolerate racist actions and that is the reason why he turned himself in adding "after much long and difficult contemplation, I have decided that it is in the best interests of the team, the Atlanta community, and the NBA to sell my controlling interest in the Hawks franchise."
The Hawks will be the second team in the NBA that will be changing ownership this year. LA Clippers has been sold also right after former owner; Donald Sterling was embroiled in a racist controversy as well.
