Dikembe Mutombo interested in buying the Houston Rockets

Dikembe Mutombo wants to buy the Houston Rockets.

Dikembe Mutombo wants to cash in on the rising value of NBA franchises.

The Hall of Famer played in the NBA for 18 years and spent his final five seasons in Houston before retiring in 2009.

Now, Mutombo wants to make a splash in retirement.

Since Leslie Alexander announced that the Houston Rockets were for sale on Monday, Dikembe has been looking for potential partners to make a bid for the Rockets, as he told Houston’s Fox 26 Sports.

“I’m working on it,” Mutombo said. “I’m talking to a lot of people already since (Monday). We’ll see. I’m just talking to the people who can cut the check and they can make me be part of it. I’m working on that.”

Forbes currently estimates the value of the Houston Rockets at $1.65 billion. Unless a multi-billionaire decides that he wants to own a basketball team, a group of investors will likely win the bid.

Dikembe Mutombo also tried to get in on purchasing the Atlanta Hawks back in 2015, but he missed out. Mutombo played for the Hawks in his prime years from 1996-2001.

The Rockets are

Dikembe feels like the Rockets already have everything in place, and that there isn’t much to improve.

“It’s like someone who’s already sitting on the runway trying to take off,” Mutombo told Fox 26 Sports. “That’s what kind of team the Rockets are right now. The Rockets are a great franchise. They have a great team. They’ve got great coaches, great basketball players, great staff. Whoever is coming in, it’s not like they’re going to have to rebuild it.”

Although Dikembe retired from the Rockets years ago, he still owns a home in Houston.

“That’s the reason I don’t want to sell my house, because Houston will always have a place in my heart,” Mutombo told Fox 26 Sports. “My car’s still there. My clothes are still in Houston. It was just me who got on a plane and left.

Rockets CEO Tad Brown is overseeing the process of selling the franchise. There is no timetable to sell the team. Mutumbo, like the rest of us, was surprised by Alexander’s decision to put the team up for sale.

“I was a little bit surprised by the news,” Mutombo told Fox 26 Sports. “Les has done a lot for the city, for the franchise, winning all of the championships for the city of Houston, and bringing so many great players with great value who have contributed a lot to the city.”

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