Dikembe Mutombo wants to buy the Houston Rockets

NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo says he wants to buy the Houston Rockets.

Dikembe Mutombo told Fox 26 in Houston that he is working on assembling a group to bid for the newly listed Rockets.

Rockets President Tad Brown said in a press conference earlier this week that current owner Leslie Alexander is looking to sell the franchise after 24 years and two NBA Championships. The sale opens the door for Mutombo, who played his final five seasons in the league with the Rockets.

Mutombo will need some help if he wants to be the next Michael Jordan as a player turned owner.

According to the TheRichest.com, Mutombo has a net worth of  $75 million. That’s short of what Alexander paid for the franchise in 1993 and well short of the Rockets’ $1.6 billion evaluation by Forbes.

But Mt. Mutombo should have no problem trying to find partners that want to get in on the rising Rockets. With MVP runner-up James Harden and newly acquired superstar Chris Paul (and possibly Carmelo Anthony if that trade ever becomes more than Twitter fodder) the Rockets look like a sure-thing 60-win team and maybe the only Western Conference team with a chance to challenge the Warriors.

Mutombo has had his eye on NBA ownership for some time now. The 7-foot-2, four-time Defensive Player of the Year told Fox 26 that he regretted not making a move on the Atlanta Hawks when they were up for sale two years ago.

Mutombo says he still has a home in Houston and not having to relocate is a major selling point — that and the fact that the Rockets have been one of the best-run franchises over the last two decades.

“The Rockets are a great franchise,” Mutombo told Fox 26. “They have a great team. They’ve got great coaches, great basketball players, great staff. Whoever is coming in, it’s not like they’re going to have to rebuild it,”

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As for who else could join Team Mutombo in a possible bid to take over the Rockets, that remains to be seen. Perhaps he can convince some former teammates and Rockets greats (McGrady, Yao, Battier) to throw some money into the ring?

We’ll just have to wait and see, but who could possibly have the nerve to say no to this guy?