Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta in Line for Trump Appointment, Wants to Buy Saints

Hours after Tilman Fertitta’s interest in acquiring the New Orleans Saints came to light, the Houston Rockets owner also appears to be in line to take over as the U.S. ambassador to Italy after contributing hundreds of thousands to reelect Donald Trump. 

CBS News reported Tuesday night that Fertitta is “expected” to be tapped to the foreign post under the incoming Trump Administration. Fertitta would join the ranks of Jets owner Woody Johnson (U.K.) and late Steelers owner Dan Rooney (Ireland) as NFL owners who served as ambassadors under prior administrations if he’s nominated by Donald Trump and is confirmed by the Senate.

Since January 2023, Fertitta has made $2 million in political donations with the money going almost exclusively to Trump, other GOP candidates, state GOP committees, and GOP-related PACs, according to Federal Election Commission filings reviewed by Front Office Sports. More than $407,000 in contributions went to the Trump 47 Committee. His wife, Paige, contributed the same amount to the Trump 47 Committee. 

Post Oak Motor Cars—the luxury car dealership owned by Fertitta—contributed $1.24 million to Republicans and $3,400 to Democrats last election cycle, according to Open Secrets. More than $800,000 went to the Trump 47 Committee. 

Fertitta, 67, purchased the Rockets for $2.2 billion in 2017 and he has an estimated net worth of $10.9 billion. Fertitta also owns the Landry’s restaurant chain and the Golden Nugget’s six hotels and casinos. 

A message left with a Rockets spokesperson was not immediately returned.  

Fertitta entered the bidding for the Commanders after then-owner Dan Snyder put the NFL franchise on the market in November 2022, but exited the process after he said he didn’t want to bid more than $5.6 billion. 

“If they can get somebody to pay them more than that, good luck to them,”  Fertitta told CNBC in April 2020. “That’s all I can say. I own a franchise, so I love them selling for a lot. But at some point, I don’t think $6 billion is the right number.”

The number ended up being $6.05 billion, which an ownership group led by 76ers and Devils owner Josh Harris agreed to pay a few weeks later. The record sale closed in July 2023. 

“I still think [Harris] could have paid $1 billion less for them because there were no other buyers but the two of us,” Fertitta told the Houston Business Journal in a story published Tuesday.

But Fertitta told the outlet he’s now interested in another NFL team despite the fact none are currently on the market. 

“I’ve always loved the New Orleans Saints, but [owner Gayle Benson] won’t sell them right now,” Fertitta told the publication. 

Amid some family drama, Benson, 77, took control of the Saints (and the NBA’s Pelicans) after the death of her husband, Tom Benson, in 2018. 

Fertitta told the Houston Business Journal that he hasn’t sent an official offer for the Saints, which are valued at $4.4 billion by Forbes. And he added he’s not opposed to entering NFL ownership as a minority owner as long as there’s “a road map to become the majority partner.”