Shinn Speaks

Former New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn returned to NOLA for the first time since transferring ownership of the team to the NBA. Shinn sat down with Times Picayune writer Jimmy Smith. Here is more from the Times Picayune and nola.com.

Did you have offers from other suitors during that period? It has been reported that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison wanted to buy the team and potentially move it to the West Coast.

Larry made a public statement that he had made an offer for $350 million. And that’s true. He did. I still have the offer signed, but I just couldn’t do it. I could not sell it to him. I could have gotten $50 million more for the team. But I just couldn’t do it. I knew his goal was one thing. He wants a team, but he wants it in California.

http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ssf/2011/04/former_hornets_owner_george_sh.html

New Orleans Hornet fans better pray Gary Chouest buys the team from the NBA once the next collective bargaining agreement is in effect. The longer the Hornets have no local ownership ties, the more likely it is they will end up somewhere other than New Orleans.