Tilman Fertitta: 'Not many can own a team in their hometown'

Fertitta arrives to a news conference introducing Fertitta as the Rockets new owner at Toyota Center on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

>> See Fertitta's expansive business empire... less New Houston Rockets owner Tilmanarrives to a news conference introducingas the Rockets new owner at Toyota Center on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ) Fertitta arrives to a news conference introducing Fertitta as the Rockets new owner at Toyota Center on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle New Houston Rockets owner Tilmanarrives to a news conference introducingas the Rockets new owner at Toyota Center on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ... more Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 69 Caption Close Tilman Fertitta: 'Not many can own a team in their hometown' 1 / 69 Back to Gallery

Tilman Fertitta spoke of his emotions, so much a part of his decision to buy the Rockets as the fulfilment of a dream he had for decades. He had been a fan since the Rockets decision to move from San Diego. He had tried to buy them before. Nothing would stop him now.

He arrived at Toyota Center on Tuesday to cheers and a shower of confetti. He celebrated with his family. He joked happily. Finally, Fertitta allowed himself to imagine how he will feel that first night, when the Rockets play in Toyota Center for the first time with Fertitta as owner, and it all hit home.

"I get to have my dream come true when I walk onto the floor on that Saturday night when we come home for the first game," Fertitta said. "This is my building and my team. It's kind of fun.

"Anybody can build a boardwalk. Anybody can build an aquarium. Anybody can build tall buildings. Not many can own a team in their hometown."

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Fertitta could not own a team when he came up short in 1993, saying on Tuesday that Leslie Alexander "out-lawyered him." That, however, only made him want the Rockets more. He spoke of his friendship with Leslie Alexander, adding, "When it came time to sell the team, I didn't get any favors I can tell you that. It went back to business again."

"I had a wonderful life and wonderful family," Fertitta said. "Lots of good things have happened to me. I got to the point I said, "Gosh, if I laid my head down on the pillow for the last time, the one thing I never got to accomplish was owning a team in my hometown. I've looked at other teams in the last few years; it's just not the same.

"I've been on the ride from the beginning. Les kept me involved with the team. I have the two championship rings, '93, '94. But this is a different feeling. I feel very special this opportunity came upon me. It was not easy. We did it the Landry's way and said, 'We'll do this quicker and higher than anyone else. I can't tell you how great it is."

For all the ways, Fertitta had said how desperately he wanted to buy the Houston Rockets – from the record $2.2 billion he paid for them to his intention to have the franchise in his family's hands for 50 years, Rockets CEO Tad Brown went back to the day he told him it was time to begin closing the deal.

Fertitta was sick, forced to cancel the day's shooting of his cable television reality show, Billion Dollar Buyer." Houston was bracing itself for the arrival of Hurricane Harvey. Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, who narrowly beat Fertitta to buy the team 24 years earlier, had decided he was ready to make the deal and Brown made the call.

"We were Facetiming each other," Brown said. "Tilman put his face down and started to cry. It was something you could see immediately, it was the right call. Somebody that cares about it that much, and really needed it and wanted it and dreamed about since he was a kid.

Brown said more than 50 buyers or groups bid for the team, a dozen had "real potential," a half dozen reached advanced stages.

"Tilman took it," he said. "Tilman came in because he was the most passionate about it, most committed to it, most committed to this team, this city, most committed to our national reach, most committed to our fans in China, most committed to everything we've developed because this is his town, his team and he wanted it more. He took it."

"It was a wonderful moment," Fertitta said. "Tad had kind of told me the process was going to go on. I realized, we're struggling here. Tad said you need to come in tomorrow morning. It was just an unbelievable moment. You want something so bad and you don't want to lose it. Nobody, I don't think, was a close second for passion."

Fertitta praised Brown and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, saying he would keep the Rockets management team in place. He and Brown had already spoken about changes great (addressing the NHL potential in Houston) and small (pledging to upgrade the players' dining room.)

Mostly, he and his family celebrated a day long anticipated.

"It's an unbelievable thing, an unbelievable day," his father Vic Fertitta said. "To see your son do what he's done and remember him as a child, this is just wonderful. He's been a Rockets fan for so many years, I just can't tell you. He's been a Rockets fan as long as I can remember. It's been about as good a story as you could tell."