Chris Webber Part of Potential Group Interested in Purchasing Hawks

While it appears Atlanta Hawks majority owner Bruce Levenson is taking a diligent approach to selling his shares of the team, details have begun emerging about the groups making offers.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that former All-Star Chris Webber was among one ownership group:

On Thursday, Webber released a statement on Twitter announcing The Webber Group's intentions to "acquire the majority interest" of the Hawks and keep the team in Atlanta:

On Friday, Webber tweeted a picture of himself with Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins:

CNN Unguarded's Rachel Nichols expressed her thoughts on Webber's news following the statement: 

Wojnarowski had more details:

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Webber would have a modest financial investment in the partnership, but is expected to emerge as a face of the bid with an ultimate goal of becoming a prominent figure on the basketball side for the Hawks, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The primary investors are expected to become public in the near future, sources said. Several prominent groups with interest in buying the Hawks are also expected to become known soon.

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Wojnarowski did not name any other members of Webber's group, nor did he indicate the seriousness of negotiations at this stage. Webber, who made $178 million in NBA salary, would likely be a minority owner in any purchasing agreement.

Levenson, the chief investor in the robust Atlanta Spirit group that purchased the Hawks in 2004, is selling his stake in the franchise after a racially charged email from 2012 surfaced.

In the email, Levenson bemoaned the number of black people who attend Hawks games, attempted to have the team hire more white cheerleaders and wondered if the "hip-hop" atmosphere made whites uncomfortable.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

"As Mr. Levenson acknowledged, the views he expressed are entirely unacceptable and are in stark contrast to the core principles of the National Basketball Association," commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "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."

The email showed up following an internal audit spurred by racially tinged comments made by general manager Danny Ferry about forward Luol Deng during a conference call with owners. Ferry has since taken a leave of absence, with head coach Mike Budenholzer taking control of basketball operations.

The Hawks' controversy came a little more than four months after Silver banned former Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life after recordings of him making disparaging remarks about African Americans were leaked. By selling the team of his own volition, Levenson has allowed himself some control over the sales process—something that wouldn't have been afforded to Sterling had his wife, Shelly, not made a deal with Steve Ballmer.

Webber, 41, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 NBA draft and played 15 seasons with five different franchises. He made five All-Star teams, enjoying most of his success during his six-plus seasons with the Sacramento Kings.

Since retiring in 2008, Webber has worked in broadcasting for Turner Sports. He appears as a color commentator, an occasional panelist on TNT's Inside the NBA and a regular on NBATV. A Detroit native, Webber currently resides in Atlanta.

It is unknown at this time whether Webber's group is targeting only Levenson's share or will attempt to purchase the team from the Atlanta Spirit group outright. Forbes valued the Hawks franchise at $425 million in January, though its numbers have been consistently under the final sale price.

Listed at $405 million, the Milwaukee Bucks went for $550 million in April. Ballmer bought the Clippers for an NBA-record $2 billion despite the team's $575 million valuation.

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