Shaq interested in partnering with Amazon's Jeff Bezos to buy Suns
Shaquille O'Neal is open to joining forces with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in a bid to purchase the Phoenix Suns.
O'Neal, who played for the Suns from 2008-09, told TMZ Sports he was interested in buying Robert Sarver's stake in the organization after news broke that the owner was selling the team. However, O'Neal doesn't think he could compete with an offer from Bezos.
"I was interested, but when big man JB said he was interested, nobody can compete with big man JB. ... Once Jeff Bezos put his name in the hat, all you others just close your checkbook and go home," O'Neal said.
"Nobody on this planet can compete with big man JB. And I'm not gonna be in there trying to go up against big man JB, 'cause you know what? I just ordered 50 things off Amazon today. Big man JB got that money coming in."
O'Neal was then asked if he'd partner with Bezos.
"If he wants me on board, I would gladly like to talk to him," O'Neal said.
Sarver announced last month that he had begun the process of selling the Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, both of which he purchased in 2004. The announcement came shortly after Sarver was handed a one-year suspension and $10-million fine for engaging in what the NBA described as "workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies."
The price tag to buy the Suns could be more than $3 billion, according to a report by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Baxter Holmes. Bezos, meanwhile, is currently ranked as the third-richest person in the world by Forbes, with an estimated net worth of $136.4 billion.