Four businessmen join group buying SuperSonics

Four more Oklahoma City businessmen are joining the ownership group that is buying the Seattle SuperSonics, reports from Oklahoma city said on Sunday.

The new members announced Sunday are William M. Cameron, president and CEO of Oklahoma City-based American Fidelity Assurance Co.; Bob Howard, president of Mercedes Benz of Oklahoma City; Everett Dobson, executive chairman of Oklahoma City-based Dobson Communications Corp.; and Jay Scaramucci, president of Oklahoma City-based Balon Corp, the Association Press reported.

Clayton I. Bennett, chairman and managing partner of Professional Basketball Club LLC, announced in July that his group would buy the Sonics and WNBA Storm for 350 million U.S. dollars. The sale is subject to league approval and is expected to be addressed at the NBA Board of Governors meeting on Oct. 24, the report added.

The original partners in the group are Bennett, president of investment firm Dorchester Capital; Aubrey K. McClendon, chairman and CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp.; G. Jeffrey Records Jr., president and CEO of MidFirst Bank; and Tom L. Ward, chairman and CEO of SandRidge Energy Inc. All four companies are based in Oklahoma City.

The group was initially formed in February and set out to find an NBA team for Oklahoma City. However, Bennett has said the new owners intend to keep the teams in Seattle, provided a new arena deal can be reached within a 12-month deadline.

Source: Xinhua