Atlanta Hawks Deal Would Compliment NBA’s Latino Outreach

So a lot of hype came up recently when news that a Latino was set to purchase the Atlanta Hawks NBA team.

Alex Meruelo is the son of Cuban immigrants and now a businessman with investments in everything from real estate to pizza to wind turbines. He’s also set to purchase the basketball team, becoming the first Latino NBA owner in history, if the deal goes through. Oh, and he’s loved basketball since he’s a kid.

And I think it’s this last part that is the most important to think about here.

We’ve reported for a while now that the NBA is actively hoping to expand its Latino audience in order to expand its profits. This is being done largely via the Los Angeles Lakers and their huge Latino fan base, with Latino fan nights for example, but the NBA as a whole launched a marketing campaign specific to Latinos back in February.

Enter Meruelo.

As a Latino owner, who also happens to be a basketball lover and a successful businessman, I’d bet Meruelo would not only be able to capitalize on the NBA’s current outreach efforts, but enhance them as well. So while it’s exciting that Meruelo would be the first Latino NBA owner, it’s also important to consider that the NBA as a whole would stand to benefit from his ownership as the league moves forward in search of new fans.

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD.