<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The NBA unanimously approved billionaire Robert Pera's bid for the Grizzlies, reported the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The league's finance committee unanimously approved the deal on Wednesday night, and the Board of Governors followed suit Thursday morning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Pera, 34, is a wireless technology entrepreneur and had agreed to buy the team from current owner Michael Heisley for what is believed to be $350 million. Other investors who joined Pera's bid include Justin Timberlake, Peyton Manning and Penny Hardaway. The deal still has to be closed with Heisley, but the league's approval was viewed as the most significant obstacle.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Darren Rovell commented via Twitter:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/261518704674762752&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;NBA Commissioner David Stern expressed his sentiments about the deal:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CWe are delighted that the NBA\u2019s Board of Governors has approved Robert Pera\u2019s purchase of the Grizzlies,\u201D said Stern in a statement. \u201CRobert will no doubt bring great energy and passion to the franchise. He has assembled an ownership group with very strong local ties, and we anticipate that their commitment to the Memphis area will greatly benefit both the team and the community.\"Heisley, 75, purchased the team in 2000 and orchestrated the move from Vancouver to Memphis in 2001.&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/si-wire/2012/10/25/nba-approves-sale-of-grizzlies-robert-pera>