Maloof Family
| Ethnicity | Lebanese |
|---|---|
| Current region | Western United States |
| Earlier spellings | Maalouf |
| Members | George J. Maloof, Sr., Adrienne Maloof, George J. Maloof, Jr. |
| Distinctions | entertainment industry |
The Maloof family is a prominent American family based in Las Vegas, Nevada, who are owners of numerous business properties in the Western United States. The origin of the family name is Maalouf and is of Lebanese descent. The family is Lebanese via their paternal grandfather. Originally from New Mexico, the Maloofs' success began with the distributing rights of Coors Beer in the Southwest region of the US in 1937. It was from this highly successful distribution service that the family was able to expand their empire. The Maloofs were the owners of the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1998 until 2013. The family consists of George J. Maloof, Sr., his wife Colleen, and their children: Adrienne Maloof, Joe Maloof, Gavin Maloof, George J. Maloof, Jr., and Phil Maloof.
The family owned a sports franchise in the Sacramento, California market — the NBA's Sacramento Kings from 1998 until 2013 when The Maloof family sold the 65% of the team they owned to a Sacramento group led by Vivek Ranadive for $347 million who were committed to building a new arena in downtown Sacramento that had previously been rebuked by the Maloofs. The Maloofs had acquired a minority interest in the Kings in 1998 and took majority control the following year, with Joe and Gavin operating the franchise. As part of the purchase of the Kings, they also acquired the team's sister franchise in the WNBA, the Sacramento Monarchs. The Maloofs operated the Monarchs until 2009, when the WNBA was unable to find a new owner and the team folded. Prior to the sale of the team, a previous deal had been reached, selling the Kings to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and investor Chris Hansen, who had hoped to move the team to Seattle. This sale was nullified on May 15, 2013, when the NBA Board of Governors denied the relocation in a vote of 22-8. The Maloof family also briefly owned the Houston Rockets from 1979-1982. The Rockets made the NBA Finals in 1981. The team was sold to Charlie Thomas in 1982. The Maloofs are also the minority owners of the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL (which will begin play in the 2017-18 season).
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