New Rockets Owner Open To Selling Shares To Beyoncé

New Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta isn’t planning on bringing in any shareholders, but he indicates that he would make an exception for Houston native Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Scott Soshinick of Bloomberg.com relays.

“I prefer to own 100 percent,” Fertitta said. “If somebody as special as a Beyoncé or somebody like that wanted to come in for a tiny percentage because they wanted to be an ambassador for the team because this is their hometown — would I sit down and discuss it with them? Yeah, I would sit down and discuss it with them. It’s a compliment to have somebody like Beyoncé to want to be a part of your team.”

Beyoncé considered an investment in the franchise when former owner Leslie Alexander put the team on the market over the summer. It’s uncertain whether or not the pop icon has interest in an arrangement with Fertitta.

It’s also unclear whether or not the NBA would allow Beyoncé to become a stakeholder in the team since her husband Jay-Z currently runs the Roc Nation Sports agency, which represents several NBA players. Jay-Z was forced to sell his minority stake in the Nets when he started the agency

It’s fair to speculate that the league would at least sit down with the power couple to discuss the potential issues with Beyoncé owning a slice of the Houston franchise. While there have been no reports indicating that the 20-time Grammy winner would face obstacles from the league on her way to owning a share of the Rockets, the potential for conflict of interest would exist.

It’s becoming more common for North American franchise owners to sell minority shares to celebrities. Justin Timberlake currently owns a piece of the Grizzlies, while Will Smith has a minority stake in the Sixers.