- An original investor in NFL’s Houston Texas, Tilman Fertitta makes winning bid on NBA franchise valued at $1.65 billion in February
- Houston native Beyoncé previously rumored to be interested in buying Rockets
- Former owner Les Alexander bought team for $85 million in 1993, recently donated $10 million for hurricane relief efforts in the Houston area
Beyoncé will not be purchasing the NBA’s Rockets after businessman and owner of the Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant chain Tilman Fertitta submitted the winning bid, the team announced Tuesday.
The Houston native was rumored to be interested in purchasing a share of the team back in August when now-former owner Les Alexander put the Rockets on the market, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Alexander purchased the Rockets for $85 million back in 1993, but according to multiple reports, Fertitta’s bid was worth a whopping $2.2 billion. That’s a significant sum for a team that Forbes valued at $1.65 billion back in February and that plays in Houston, a city that is still inundated with the flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.
Beyoncé Knowles, a Houston native, was reportedly interested in purchasing the Rockets when the team went on the market in August
Houston businessman Tilman Fertitta submitted the winning bid for the Rockets, reportedly worth $2.2 billion
Alexander recently donated $10 million to relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey.
Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z once held a minority stake in the Brooklyn Nets, and she’s been seen frequently at Rockets games in recent seasons.
Fertitta, who previously donated $20million to rebuild the University of Houston’s basketball arena, was an original investor in the NFL’s Houston Rockets, but was forced to sell his stake in the team because that league has a policy against its owners having gambling interests. Fertitta’s company, Landry’s Inc., owns Golden Nuggets Casinos.
Fertitta has gained some notoriety through his CNBC show, ‘Billion Dollar Buyer,’ which launched in March of 2016.