Oracle (ORCL) CEO and multibillionaire Larry Ellison is being implored by a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings to buy a controlling interest in the basketball team and prevent its threatened move from the city.

Bob Cook, who owns 7 percent of the team, said he asked a San Francisco sports attorney he declined to name to contact Ellison to see if he’d consider investing in the team and meet with Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA All-Star who is trying to keep the Kings in the capital city.

Although Cook said he asked the attorney to make the inquiries about a week ago, the attorney told him on Wednesday that he still hadn’t reached Ellison, who Forbes magazine says is the third-richest American.

“I know he is making that effort,” Cook said of the attorney. “I would expect by Monday or Tuesday next week he probably will make contact with him.”

Cook said he thought Ellison “would be a good possibility” to buy the 65 percent interest in the Kings that is held by the Maloof family, which has announced a deal to sell their share to a group that would move the team to Seattle.

“He loves basketball,” Cook said of Ellison, who tried without success to buy the Golden State Warriors in 2010 and the New Orleans Hornets in 2011. Ellison’s Redwood City software company also signed a 10-year deal in 2006 to have Oracle’s name on the Warriors’ arena in Oakland.

Cook said he met Thursday with Johnson to discuss his idea and said Johnson “absolutely” reacted favorably to it.

Asked about Cook’s idea, Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger said, “We decline comment.” Johnson’s office didn’t return calls seeking his response.

Cook is part of a four-member group that controls 35 percent of the Kings. The others are the Benvenuti family, businessman David Lucchetti and Santa Clara developer John Kehriotis. Members of the group “are trying to get together sometime next week” to discuss the idea of having Ellison involved, Cook said.

In an emailed response to a query from this newspaper, Kehriotis said, “Love to talk to you, however the NBA has precluded me from talking to the press.”

The potential investors from Seattle, who include Microsoft billionaire Steve Ballmer and hedge fund manager Chris Hansen, announced Monday that they have a “binding agreement” to buy the Maloofs’ controlling interest. Quoting an unnamed source, the Sacramento Bee said that deal values the sports franchise at $525 million, which would make the Seattle group’s bid worth about $340 million.

Meanwhile, another group that includes billionaire Ron Burkle and 24-Hour-Fitness founder Mark Mastrov, reportedly also is considering making a bid for the team at Johnson’s urging.

Contact Steve Johnson at sjohnson@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5043. Follow him at Twitter.com/steveatmercnews.