ON THE RECORD

On June 24, the NBA Board of Governors announced unanimous approval of the sale of the Atlanta Hawks: “We are pleased that the NBA’s Board of Governors has approved the purchase of the Atlanta Hawks by principal owner Tony Ressler,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “Tony and his diverse and experienced ownership group will bring tremendous energy and passion to the Hawks and the team and its fans will greatly benefit from their commitment to the Atlanta community.”

From Atlallday.com: "Expectations are high for the Atlanta Hawks entering the 2015-2016 season. Coming off their best season in franchise history, the team looks to sustain its success in the coming year and to improve upon last year's record break 60 wins. The Atlanta Hawks lost a key contributor to the team, DeMarre Carroll, to the Toronto Raptors this offseason and questions remain about how Head Coach Mike Budenholzer will replace his production. The Atlanta Hawks have a quality that many teams seem to lack — continuity. Even without Carroll, the Atlanta Hawks will bring back 4 out of 5 starters, all of whom were members of the 2015 Eastern Conference All-Star team last season.

From Danny Ferry's apology for his comments regarding NBA star Luol Deng: "In regards to the insensitive remarks that were used during our due diligence process, I was repeating comments that were gathered from numerous sources during background conversations and scouting about different players," he said. "I repeated those comments during a telephone conversation reviewing the draft and free agency process. Those words do not reflect my views, or words that I would use to describe an individual and I certainly regret it. I apologize to those I offended and to Luol, who I reached out to Monday morning."

Magic Johnson tweeting on why Ferry deserved a second chance: "Just had a heart to heart meeting w/ Hawks GM Danny Ferry! He apologized for his comments about Luol Deng & the African-American community." "In our meeting Danny Ferry's apology was very sincere." "I have a lot of respect for Danny because he called and wanted to talk about how his comments offended so many people." "After our long meeting, I think he deserves a second chance whether it is with the Hawks or another team."'