NBA team owner expected to land notable job in Donald Trump administration

May 14, 2018; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta looks on during the second quarter in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Donald Trump is likely to have both NFL and NBA team owners as part of his second presidential administration.

Jennifer Jacobs of CBS News reports this week that Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is expected to be Trump’s pick for United States ambassador to Italy. The billionaire businessman Fertitta is close friends with Trump as well as a longtime Republican Party donor.

This news comes weeks after New York Jets owner Woody Johnson was revealed to be in the mix for a different ambassador position in Trump’s second administration as well.

Fertitta, who purchased the Rockets for a then-record $2.2 billion in 2017, is best known as the chairman and CEO of Landry’s Inc. He also owns multiple Golden Nugget casinos across the United States.

For the 67-year-old Fertitta, his Trump support once reportedly made him unpopular among some of the Rockets’ star players. Now that same support will likely land Fertitta an ambassador position to a top European ally.