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"The NBA confirmed to KCRA 3 on Friday that\u00A0Commissioner\u00A0David Stern met with southern California businessman Ron Burkle at league offices in New York.A league official said that the meeting lasted for two hours on Thursday but did not release details of what was discussed.Burkle, who is a co-owner of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, has been\u00A0rumored\u00A0to be in talks to buy the Sacramento Kings.Mayor Kevin Johnson has previously mentioned Burkle as a possible buyer for the team.Meanwhile, Bob Cook, a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings, confirmed Friday that he has requested a meeting between Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Johnson.Johnson is seeking wealthy investors who might be interested in purchasing the Kings and who would counter an agreement between the Maloofs and a group that wants to relocate the team to Seattle.Cook told KCRA 3 that a few days ago he asked a sports attorney in the Bay Area to set up a meeting between Johnson and Ellison.\"I just thought that Larry Ellison would be somebody who might be interested.\u00A0 And I thought it was worth contacting him,\" Cook told KCRA 3.Cook said he did not think that the meeting had yet taken place but said that there was a \"high probability\" that it would happen next week.Forbes magazine estimates Ellison's wealth at $41 billion and ranks him as the third-richest person in the United States.In 2010, Ellison unsuccessfully tried to purchase the Golden State Warriors.Johnson's office and an Oracle spokeswoman for Ellison declined to comment on whether a meeting would take place.Mark Mastrov, the founder of the 24 Hour Fitness chain, has also expressed interest.Johnson said Thursday he hopes to be able to identify next week the \"whale\" investors with whom he has been negotiating.Cook said he is also pursuing another strategy to keep the Kings from moving to Seattle.He said that he believes he and the other minority owners have the legal right to buy out the Maloof's majority share, if they can match the offer of the Seattle group.\"It's based on some of the old agreements.\u00A0 I've dug through old files.\u00A0 And I think we have a first right of refusal,\" said Cook.Cook's seven percent share of the team is in bankruptcy proceedings and is scheduled to be auctioned off in the spring.However, Cook said he believes he will retain ownership."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.kcra.com/article/nba-stern-met-with-billionaire-burkle-for-2-hours/6401858>