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HOUSTON CHRONICLE  JUNE 7, 2020  SECTION C HH

RELAUNCH READY Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta discusses NBA’s return, team’s title hopes and his pride in Houston’s peaceful protest in respect for George Floyd

Q&A BY JONATHAN FEIGEN ON PAGE C2 PHOTO BY BRETT COOMER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER C2 | Sunday, June 7, 2020 |HoustonChronicle.com |Houston Chronicle HH PROBASKETBALL

Q&A WITH ROCKETSOWNER TILMAN FERTITTA

Brett Coomer /Staff photographer RocketsownerTilman Fertitta is excited aboutthe NBA’sreturn and thechance forhis team to compete forachampionship.

Q. Howdoyou feel about wasashortenedseason.Just theNBA’s plan to playwith likeIdon’t know whowas or theone-site, 22-team scenar- wasn’t achampion when there io next monthand getting PROUDOF were shortenedseasons. I back to basketball? don’t see anyasterisks.Iknow A. “I think we’reall excited San Antonio has five rings and to see sports today. Ithink LeBron (James) has afew rings. we’rereallyexcited to see the Iwould be more than happy to NBAbecause inthe NBAwe HIS CITY, win achampionship thisyear.” reallyknowour players.Fans knowtheir personalities.We’re Q. And theevaluations in so luckytohavethe team we theoff-season will be the have.When youlookatJames sameasafter anyother sea- (Harden) and Russ (Westbrook) son? and P.J. (Tucker) andEric(Gor- PROUDOF A. “I think Ihaveone of the don), it’sexciting.Ithink we NBA’sgreat coachesinMike have as good achance as any- D’Antoni. And Ithink Ihave body. one of the best basketballops “I thinkthe NBAand team groups, Daryl and hiswhole owners have takenour time to HIS TEAM team. Personally, Ilove Mike. makesurewedid thisrightand But I’m goingtoleave it up to it’ssafefor everybody. Iknow the generalmanager.Isurely thateverybodyisexcited to wouldliketohaveMikeback.If play. Ididn’t want to playifthe By Jonathan Feigen STAFF WRITER Daryl wantstohaveMikeback, players didn’twant to playand I’msureMikeisgoing to be everybody’shappy to play.” back.” With the NBAmoving closertoareturn amid the coronavirus crisis Q. Throughout the corona- and ongoing protests around the country following the killing of Q. TheRockets have been virus crisis,you have often GeorgeFloyd,Rockets owner Tilman Fertittaaddressed issues on the builtand rebuiltaround described thereturnof JamesHardenand Russell sports as valuable. Whyis courtand farfromit. Westbrook. Areyou still that? Speakingfromhis office at the Post Oak Hotel, the chairman and sole confident thattheycan lead A. “Weall love sports. That’s owner of Landry’sInc. and chairman of theUniversityofHouston this team to achampion- justAmerica. People getemo- BoardofRegents discussed theNBA return-to-playplan, Rockets pros- ship? tionalabout their sports teams A. “I don’t thinkIcan have and their cities. With the whole pects and joining Tuesday’smarch and protests in Houston. twobetter guys to try to lead us emotion with the pandemic, I to achampionship,and they think we needsports more deserveitfor theirlegacy. I thanever.” want them to win achampi- onship fortheirlegacybecause Q. As oneofthe most high- came together to have this A. “The tweet wasseven freedoms we have.” theyare twoofthe greatest profile business leaders in wonderfulmarch after the words. Therewas nothing players at what they do that thiscity, themost diverse atrociouscrime to afellow wrong with the tweet.That’s Q. Backtobasketball, as have ever played thegame. city in thecountry, and with Houstonian,George Floyd. whyone hour laterItold ESPN someone in thehospitality Nobodydeservesachampi- your role at theUniversityof when Iwas asked‘Areyou industryduring apandemic, onship morethan JamesHard- Houston, what canyou do as Q. Whydid youchoose to going to getrid of DarylMorey,’ will that affect decision en,RussellWestbrook,P.J. acommunityleader to ad- attendand be part of the Iwas like, ‘Are youcrazy?Why makingonthe basketball Tucker, Eric Gordon and Aus- dress theissuesorwhat crowd? would Iget ridofDaryl forthat sideofyour business? tin Rivers,guys likeRobert message wouldyou want to A. “AsaHoustonian,an tweet?’ IthinkDaryl’sone of A. “I don’t understand why Covington. They deserve a send following the killingof Americanand ahumanbeing I the best general managers in people would think that. The ring.We’regoing to do every- George Floyd,particularly lookforward andamdeter- the league. Plus,wetrulyenjoy Rocketsoperate totallysep- thing in ourpowertomake after joining themarch on minedtobeing partofthe working witheach other. To arately.There’s nothing more thathappen.” Tuesday? solution to uplift the under- thisday,weplan on working important thanwinning a A. “AsaHoustonian,Iam privilegedcommunityinour witheach other,and Iexpect championship.IfIcould buya Q. Therehavebeenin- proudthat60,000-plus people nation.Under no circumstanc- Daryl to be herefor years to championship,Iwould write credible ups and downs in came together and marched to es is inequality acceptable in come.” outacheck and do it.I’m nev- thepastfew years. Howhave show their respectfor George thiscountry or anywhereelse. er goingtolet aplayeroratax youliked being the ownerof Floyd and the entiremove- Thereisracism. There is police Q. On theCNBC interview, keep me from winningacham- theRockets? ment.And people of all differ- brutality. Iwilluse my leader- youdistinguishedbetween pionship.” A. “Owning ateaminyour ent backgrounds and races ship and my resourcesand my speakingout on domestic hometownisthe greatest gift a were unifiedasone inHouston place in thiscitytonot just and international issues. Q. Thisissuch an unprec- man and sports fan canget. to come together forthe cause. point outthe problem but to Why? edented season. Howdoes What’sinteresting is Ilove that Iwas proudasaHoustonian,it be partofthe solution. A. “WhatImeant was, andI that affect evaluations and theytold me I’m the 35th- waspeaceful,respectful and “Weall realize nowthat thought Imadeitclear,thatin decisionsfromMikeD’A nto- longestseason-ticketholder of we showedthe rest of the ColinKaepernick wasahead of America we cansay whatever ni andthe idea ofplaying the Houston Rockets. I’vehad countrythatwecan protestin histime.Ittook thistragic we want to say. We don’t have without acenter and the seasontickets nowfor like40 away thatweall came togeth- incidentfor not onlymyself but to worryabout ourgovern- roster? years. It feels reallygood,really er,the community leaders, the forsomanymoreAmericans ment doing anything against us A. “We’regetting ready to good, but it’snot going to be policedepartmentand 60,000 to realize it.” when we speakup. Butwedo playeight gamesand go into greatuntil we win achampi- people. have to worryifwe’resome- the playoffs. Whenwestart onship.And then,wewin “I don’t think anyothercity Q. Thetopic of theHong whereelse,about an authori- thoseplayoffs, it will be like another championship.That’s has hadgentlemen likeBun B Kong tweethas comeup tarian government penalizing anyotherseason. We’refo- whyIsaid, if Icould just write andTraetha Truth come to- again lately. ThePresident us. And it could be penalizing cused onwhat’sgoingonon outacheck to buyachampi- gether,and the familyof brought it up.Itcameupon youinmanyways. Iwas 100 the court. It doesn’t matter if onship,Iwould be the first GeorgeFloyd,SheilaJackson your CNBC interview.What percent sayingAmericanciti- there’sfans in the standsor person in line.” Lee, SylvesterTurnerand Art would youwant people to zens canspeak outonour soil not.There’sgoingtobeanNBA Acevedo.Itmadeyou proudto know about your position and nothing willhappen to us. champion. Twentyyears from [email protected] be aHoustonian. Everybody aboutthat issue? Not everybodyhas the same now, nobody’sgoing to knowit twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen