Levenson said in a letter to the league that he self-reported the email to the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver and will seek to sell the team immediately. The email, sent in 2012, was in regard to ticket sales and reaching out to “a more diverse fan base that includes more suburban whites,” Levenson wrote.
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“I trivialized our fans by making clichéd assumptions about their interests (i.e. hip hop vs. country, white vs. black cheerleaders, etc.) and by stereotyping their perceptions of one another (i.e. that white fans might be afraid of our black fans),” Levenson explained in the letter. “By focusing on race, I also sent the unintentional and hurtful message that our white fans are more valuable than our black fans.
“I have said repeatedly that the NBA should have zero tolerance for racism, and I strongly believe that to be true. That is why I voluntarily reported my inappropriate e-mail to the NBA. 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.”
Levenson on Saturday night notified Silver of his intentions to sell.
“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,” Silver said in a statement.
Levenson has been part of the Hawks’ ownership group since 2005. Earlier this year, he spoke in favor of ousting Donald Sterling from the NBA when the former Los Angeles Clippers owner went on a racist rant.
Via USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, here is the email Levenson sent, reportedly to Danny Ferry and Hawks ownership partners Ed Peskowitz and Todd Foreman:
And here is Levenson’s letter in full, via NBA.com:
