Vivek Ranadive also attended luncheon.
AB Wire
NEW YORK: NBA legend Shaquille O’Neil, Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, and Sacramento Kings Owner Vivek Ranadivé, attended a private get-together at Per Se in New York City on February 14. The luncheon was in conjunction with the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend, which Bachchan attended as a goodwill ambassador.
Apart from taking part in the recent Celebrity Game, Bachchan, who is a self-proclaimed Lose Angeles Lakers fan, apparently hit it off with O’Neal and Ranadive after they met.
Bachchan posted a tweet later that night that read: “With the big man. The nicest guy!! Even got to hold his Championship ring,” followed by the hashtags “shaq” and “honoured.”
Bachchan seems to be quite the patron of sports. He owns the Jaipur Pink Panthers in the Pro Kabaddi League and Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League, and may have his eye on a basketball franchise after being slated to meet numerous other emissaries from the sport leading up to the NBA All-Star Weekend.
While O’Neal made the biggest name for himself playing for the Lakers, Ranadivé first hit the NBA’s radar when he became co-owner and vice chairman of the Golden State Warriors in 2010, making him the first person of Indian descent to own an NBA franchise. Ranadivé became a basketball fan after coaching his daughter’s middle school team.
Later, in 2013, Ranadivé’s lead ownership group agreed to purchase 65 percent of the Sacremento Kings. While the transaction valuation of $534 million set a new NBA record, as soon as Ranadivé began his tenure he began applying big data and social networking concepts to strengthen the Kings’ fan base and assumedly maximize revenue.