Hooped Up

In the wake of Washington Wizards ower Abe Pollin passing away, Ted Leonsis could takeover the team.

For nearly a decade, a plan has been in place to ensure that the Washington Wizards remain locally owned. Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis holds the right of first refusal for any transfer of ownership.

Under the plan, Leonsis likely will take over majority ownership of Washington Sports & Entertainment, which includes the Wizards, Verizon Center and the area’s Ticketmaster franchise.

If Leonsis takes over the Wizards, he would become the only person with majority ownership of an NBA, NHL and WNBA team plus a major sports arena. If he somehow bought the Redskins too, D.C. folks wouldn’t complain.

via Washington Times

Abe Pollin, 85, the Washington sports entrepreneur who owned the Wizards basketball team and the Capitals hockey team, died Tuesday. Details on where he died and the cause of his death were not immediately available. He reportedly had a rare brain disease.

Pollin was among the last of the old-school pro sports owners who ran his teams as a family business, shaped by his strong personality and his intense loyalties. His teams lost more than they won, and fans often criticized his personnel moves and his failure to spend more money, but Pollin invariably remained set in his ways.

Washington Post