Larry Ellison completed Oracle’s purchase of Sun this week. Now he is making it clear he wants a professional basketball team.
There have been rumors for months that Ellison wanted to purchase the beleaguered Golden State Warriors, a National Basketball Association team out of the San Francisco Bay area.
Ironically, acquiring the Warriors has not been so easy for Ellison; the Sun deal also eluded Ellison for months as the European Union raised questions about the merger.
But even though Oracle’s name is on the Oakland arena where the Warriors play, the deal for the team is still far from being closed.
It seems that buying a sports franchise is a bit different than purchasing a technology company.
“I’m trying, I’m trying,” said Ellison at an event this week to outline Oracle’s plans for Sun. “Unfortunately, you can’t have a hostile takeover of a basketball team.”
If Ellison does purchase the Warriors, he’d have to pull off a real turnaround. The Warriors are in last place in their division with a record of 13-31.
