New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn acknowledged Tuesday that he is looking to bring aboard investors for a minority stake in the NBA franchise.

Shinn said he has been seeking investors since he bought out Roy Wooldridge's 35 percent share of the team last year.

"Before I left New Orleans, I bought out my partner over a year ago and I was looking to retire that debt and to find investors," Shinn said Tuesday at the City Rescue Mission, where the team was distributing shoes to homeless people.

"I like to have investors. I like to have people I can consult with, talk to, get advice from because it does get lonely at the top when you're by yourself making multimillion dollar decisions."

Shinn disputed a report that he was seeking investors specifically from the Oklahoma City area, saying instead that they could come from anywhere.

"I'm looking for investors, not necessarily in Oklahoma, but all over the country," Shinn said. "There's people all over the country that are interested in investing."