Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan answers a question during a press conference at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 28, 2014.
Jeff Siner | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
Basketball legend Michael Jordan has agreed to sell his majority stake in the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte Hornets to wealthy investors Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall, representing Jordan. confirmed on friday.
Jordan sold the stake for $3 billion, a source close to the deal told CNBC. Jordan will retain minority ownership of the team as part of the deal.
Jordan took a majority stake in the Hornets in 2010 for $275 million after previously holding a minority stake in the team. If the sale is approved, it will mean that Jordan has made roughly ten times the original investment.
Under the ownership of six-time NBA champion Jordan, the Hornets struggled, making the playoffs only twice.
Plotkin acquired a minority stake in the Hornets in 2019 and served as an alternate governor on the NBA Board of Governors. He is the founder of the investment management company Tallwoods Capital.
Schnall is co-chairman of the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, where he has worked for 27 years. Since 2015, he has been a minority owner of the NBA club Atlanta Hawks and an alternate governor on the NBA Board of Governors.
He is in the process of selling his investment in the Hawks, which should be completed in the next few weeks.
Billionaire Dan Sundheim, owner of D1 Capital, is also part of the buying group, along with North Carolina musicians J. Cole and Eric Church.
The sale includes other assets in the Hornets Sports & Entertainment group, including its G League team, the Greensboro Swarm; his Hornets Venom GT esports team; and the management and operation of the Spectrum Center, where Hornets play.
The transaction for the Hornets is subject to approval by the NBA Board of Governors.
Forbes values the Hornets at $1.7 billion, 27th out of 30 NBA teams.