Laguna Beach resident Eric Davidson has taken up a family tradition with his purchase of Orange County’s professional tennis team from Canadian technology and media entrepreneur Lorne Abony.
Financial terms of the deal for the Orange County Breakers were not disclosed.
A text message a few months ago from Breakers coach Rick Leach to Davidson, a longtime friend, appeared to have set the wheels in motion. The duo have been friends since childhood and attended Laguna Beach High School, where they played tennis.
Davidson and Abony “quickly came to a deal,” Breakers General Manager Allen Hardison told the Business Journal, which first reported the franchise was up for sale in late November.
Leach, who lives in Newport Beach, is a former tennis pro and world doubles champion.
Davidson was interested to hear more about the opportunity. Introductions were made and negotiations intensified with Abony shortly thereafter.
Abony purchased the league-operated Breakers franchise in 2013 on undisclosed terms.
Abony, who lives in the Austin area, co-founded FUN Technologies in 2001 and sold the Toronto-based online game developer in 2006 for $484 million to Liberty Media Corp. in Colorado.
He relocated the Breakers to OC last year after it had an unsuccessful two-year stint in central Texas as the Austin Aces, playing matches at different venues there.
The club this year will play matches at Breakers Stadium at Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach, which is owned by Ken Stuart. The season starts in July.
The Breakers’ first season in Mylan World TeamTennis in 2003 was played at Palisades, its home venue through 2006, a stretch that included its first title in 2004 and contracts with some of the top players in league history, such as Maria Sharapova, Pete Sampras and Lindsay Davenport.
Davidson co-founded Newport Beach-based Vintage Senior Housing LLC, an owner and operator of senior and assisted living developments, where he also served as co-chief executive from 1998 to 2010.
He got his start in the sector as a senior vice president at ARV Assisted Living Inc., which was founded by his father, Gary Davidson, an industry pioneer whose career spanned five decades.
Father’s Footsteps
The elder Davidson had experience in other upstart professional sports leagues.
He was the organizer and first president of the American Basketball Association. The ABA, which operated from 1967 to 1976, introduced stars such as Julius “Dr. J” Erving, George Gervin and Artis Gilmore, as well as the three-point shot to the National Basketball Association.
Gary Davidson also founded the World Hockey Association and helped organize the World Football League, serving as the first president and commissioner of each league.
