It's no secret that Bay Area investor and 24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov is interested in buying the Sacramento Kings.
In Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's hunt for major equity investors, Mastrov met with the minority investors who pledged $1 million last week to keep the Kings in Sacramento and build a downtown arena, according to Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee.
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and supermarket mogul Ron Burkle are also among the "whales" Johnson is pursuing.
Burkle met with NBA Commissioner David Stern in New York City last week to talk about the Kings. While Burkle is a co-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mastrov failed to buy the Golden State Warriors after bidding a reported $350 million.
Mastrov and Burkle may make a run at the Kings together.
The Maloofs are trying to sell the Kings to Chris Hansen's group so the team can move to Seattle and become the second-coming of the Seattle SuperSonics.
That move may be blocked if the team's minoirty owners can buy the Maloofs' share of the team, which is being purchased by Hansen's group for around $340 million.
Johnson is expected to announce his major investors this week.
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