WASHINGTON, July 6, 2012 — D.C. United already has a baseball connection, now it’s getting a basketball connection. According to ESPN.com, Philadelphia 76ers minority owners Erick Erick Thohir and Jason Levien have reached an agreement to become co-owners of the four-time Major League Soccer champion.
Sources have told ESPN.com that Thohir and Levien will join up with United owner Will Chang, who sits on the board of the Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants. Chang has been with United since 2007. He originally purchased the team that year from Anschutz Entertainment with former co-owner Victor MacFarlane.
It has been reported that Chang, the sole-owner of the club, has been looking for ownership partners for a long time.
United is currently the hottest team in the 19-team league and sits on top of the Eastern Conference.
Thohir is an Indonesian businessman and was the first Asian to own, in whole or part, an NBA team. Levien is an attorney and sports agent. He has negotiated some of the biggest player deals in the NBA. Both Thohir and Levien own part of the 76ers with actor Will Smith.
For over 20 years John Haydon wrote a weekly soccer column for The Washington Times. He has covered two World Cups and written about Major League Soccer from the league’s inception in 1996.
Follow John on Twitter at @Johnahaydon
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