Atlanta Hawks owner accused of ‘hunting fouls’ in finance

The Atlanta Hawks’ growing reputation for cheap fouls comes as no surprise to people who’ve done business with the NBA team’s billionaire owner, The Post has learned.

Private equity chief Antony Ressler, who bought the Hawks in 2015 with a group of investors for $850 million, has been developing a reputation in financial circles for unsportsmanlike tactics on par with those that had NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio accusing Hawks point guard Trae Young of “hunting fouls” following the team’s victory over the NY Knicks on Sunday, sources said. Some lenders say just the mention of Ares Management — the $207 billion private equity firm Ressler founded in 1997 while working with his financier brother-in-law Leon Black — is enough to send chills down their spines.