<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Rapper Nelly is a part-owner of the NBA's expansion Charlotte Bobcats. "This is a great opportunity for both the Bobcats and Nelly," Robert L. Johnson, the team's majority owner and the founder of Black Entertainment Television, said Monday in a news release. "Nelly is a great entertainer and a smart businessman and those two traits will serve us well as we prepare to tipoff our inaugural season this fall." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Haynes Jr., joins an ownership group that includes former NBA player and executive M.L. Carr; Felix Sabates, owner of NASCAR racing teams, and Hugh McColl Jr., former CEO of Bank of America. "Of the many dreams that I have fulfilled in life, being an NBA owner is certainly one of the biggest achievements," Nelly said in a release issued by the Bobcats. "To be able to make this move with Bob Johnson and to be a part of the first-ever minority owned professional sports franchise in history is a great opportunity. "Bob and I share the same commitment to diversity and we are both self-made, having worked up from the very bottom to reach where we are today."</div> Full Article Courtesy of SportsNet.CA Pretty cool news, him, and Jay are now two rappers that are somehow tied to the NBA. More props to him.
very interesting article sasha I believe the bobcats have there advertising down pack at this point. I just think they need to develop them a star and they will be coposetic (okay) in the future. <font size="5"><u>"Drop down and get your eagle on girl"</u></font><font size="3"> Nelly</font>
I think this is pretty much a joke. You gotta tell me they couldn't find any one better and more professional with a buisness knowledge of sports organizations than Nelly? Gimme a break, didn't Jordan want to be a part of this organization? If that's true and they declined MJ for Nelly, the NBA will have a new laughing stock in the league other than the Hawks.
No, they wanted MJ to be a part of the organization. Jordan declined after saying he was not interested in anything else other than being a majority owner of an NBA franchise. The Bobcats, of course, could not give that to him. You must be thinking back when MJ wanted to be a part of the Hornets. He wanted Shinn to sell half of the team, which would make MJ a minority owner. However, Shinn said no--an act that infuriated Charlotte fans even more. What I think about hiring Nelly... Well, I really don't care unless it hinders the development of the team. But still, I have to raise an eyebrow when there are other people much more qualified for that type of position in a franchise. If the Bobcats keep making questionable moves, I wonder how fans in Charlotte will react. Charlotte fans are pretty bitter after the Shinn era in Charlotte.
I really don't listen to or care about Nelly (or any rapper for that matter) but who knows maybe he can entertain some of the fans with some halftime performances.
I think it's a joke personally. Only way he got in is because of Bob Johnson, the man owns B.E.T and Nelly is all over B.E.T. Put the two together, and you have yourself a very laughable article. TT: you might want to actually post about the topic in hand, and not the graphic a certain poster is sporting.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sasha:</div><div class="quote_post">Pretty cool news, him, and Jay are now two rappers that are somehow tied to the NBA. More props to him.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sasha:</div><div class="quote_post">I think it's a joke personally. Only way he got in is because of Bob Johnson, the man owns B.E.T and Nelly is all over B.E.T. Put the two together, and you have yourself a very laughable article. TT: you might want to actually post about the topic in hand, and not the graphic a certain poster is sporting.</div> Heh, I don't get it, do you like the news or no? Off-Topic: TT, if you want to use it, it's all yours since I'm going to get a new sig soon anyway.
The more I viewed it, I tend to better the side of the franchise. I really want the Bobcats to prosper with or without Nelly. He might be able to get them exposure on the hip-hop level, but will not be able to do anything else. The guy is a bum. I contradict myself at times, lol.
haters haters haters <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sasha:</div><div class="quote_post"> The guy is a bum. </div> I definately dont think nellys a bum. You neither i know him persinally so well leave it at that. trust me the owner knows what he needs to do to sell ticketss and who knows maybe the bobcats orginization will become very publicized by acts such as this and other to come in the future that big name athletes just cant wait to be a part of this orginization. Black entertainment presents. <font size="5"><u> "shes got that sweat dripping all over her body!"</u> </font><font size="3">Nelly </font><font size="5"><u>"Actin like you dont need it i can tell you concieted."</u></font>
Hey, the guy is a self made millionare. Props to him for wanting to invest in a NBA team. I wish him success.
I think this is a smart move by Bob Johnson & the bobcats. Nelly will bring in a new fanbase that before may have not been interested the bobcats or basketball for all for that matter. Nelly is good for 6 million records sold everytime he comes out,which means that he has a loyal fanbase that will sport all his ventures. So the bobcats now benefit from that. Its no doubt that when Nelly shows up in his next video with an Emeka jersey on a # of people who didnt care about Okafor or the team will be running out to sport that jersey because Nelly is wearing it & associated with the team. Plus Nelly is like a dirty south/mid-west type artist,which means that his influnence would be even more powerful in an area southern area like Charlotte because Iam assuming he would have a large fanbase in that part of the country. Also the bobcat games will most likely be airing on Bet,Iam assuming, Which means they will be targeting bet viewers, why not have one of the biggest Bet artist associated with the team to ensure those viewers to come. And as far as Nelly hurting the development of the franchise I doubt it. He will have little to no influnence on front office decisions, he is simply a figure head, more for advertising reasons then anything else. Nelly benefits because it looks good on his resume as a business man. It seems like every rapper is trying to build a business resume as they go along in their rap careers, thats why they start there own record company nowadays instead of just rapping on someone else label, thats why they start clothing companies, assoicate them selves with major sneaker company to produce their own shoe etc. Owning part of a basketball team is just the new way to increase such a resume and seem a little more powerful then just the average rapper..
Nelly not smart business-wise? He's a multi-millionaire. Isn't that a big feat? Obviously he's smart to invest in a franchise that has a future, Gerald Wallace is no doubt going to be a star. This team will do good things, time will tell. As for Nelly being an owner? Good news in my eyes, smart move to add someone who has alot of publicity power like Nelly. There's room for alot of advertising with him, there's no doubt about that.
What are they thinking? I think Johnson's acts as the majority owner will continue to worsen. And no being a millionare isn't that big if a feat when you can say "yeah", "what", and "ok", and still make millions upon millions. This will only be a smart move if the fans of his, actually go to some games. Bad move IMO.
not sure if someone rote this already but come on the bobcats owner gives nelly a partnership but not michael jordan
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting thedude9990:</div><div class="quote_post">not sure if someone rote this already but come on the bobcats owner gives nelly a partnership but not michael jordan</div> It was explained already. Bobcats offered MJ part owenership, but he wanted a majority, which they could not do.
Like I said, there's alot of publicity with Nelly. There's ways to attract people to the games, with his music or his money.
