Robert Pera, you got yourself an NBA team. At age 34. Thanks for making the rest of us feel like slackers.
At its Board of Governor’s meetings this week — where the owners get together and decide all things NBA — they formally approved the sale of the Memphis Grizzlies to billionaire Robert Pera.
“We are delighted that the NBA’s Board of Governors has approved Robert Pera’s purchase of the Grizzlies,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern in a released statement. “Robert will no doubt bring great energy and passion to the franchise. He has assembled an ownership group with very strong local ties, and we anticipate that their commitment to the Memphis area will greatly benefit both the team and the community.”
While the sale price is not public it is believed to be in the $350 million range. When the stock price for Pera’s company Ubiquiti Networks took a hit in recent months, some thought threatening the sale, Pera brought in a number of minority owners included some from the Memphis business community as well as celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and Peyton Manning and his wife (she and Timberlake are Memphis natives). Also in is former NBA player Penny Hardaway.
Outgoing owner Michael Heisley is not exactly going to be missed by the fan base. He had a reputation for being stingy and making unpopular decisions with players. However, in the last few years the Grizzlies have been built into a solid team.
That is not a team that is moving — Pera reportedly has no plans to move the franchise to another city. It would be painful to do so anyway, the Grizzlies have a rock-solid lease with the FedEx Forum through 2021. At least nine more seasons.
But we don’t know what other changes Pera may want to make in the organization.
Pera is a former Apple engineer who founded wireless company Ubiquiti Networks, which is where he made his money primarily selling in developing countries. According to a Forbes Magazine profile he is an avid basketball fan who lives a very no frills life — leases his car, lives in a one-bedroom apartment, the kind of guy who doesn’t check a bag when he travels.
Owning an NBA team is a big frill.