(ANSA) - ROME, DEC 22 - US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed businessman Tilman J. Fertitta as the new ambassador to Italy. Born in Galveston, Texas, the 57-year-old is the owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team. Fertitta, a businessman in ...

Donald Trump will nominate CNBC’s Billion Dollar Buyer host and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as the United States ambassador to Italy.

In a post to Truth Social, Trump praised Fertitta for his "long history of giving back to the community through numerous philanthropic initiatives."

In a statement issued Saturday, President-elect Donald J. Trump nominated Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Italy.

Tilman Fertitta, the owner of the Houston Rockets as well as the hospitality company Landry's, is expected to be named president-elect Donald Trump's ambassador to Italy, according to Jennifer Jacobs of CBS News.

Donald Trump has nominated Tilman Fertitta, Houston Rockets owner and Landry's CEO, as the next U.S. ambassador to Italy. Trump praised Fertitta's bus

Donald Trump just shook up the news cycle by naming Tilman Fertitta—owner of the Houston Rockets—as the next U.S. ambassador to Italy. The announcement dropped

Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets and Landry’s restaurant group, hosted a fundraiser for Trump earlier this year and is a regular donor to both parties.

President-elect Donald Trump selected billionaire Tilman Fertitta as his ambassador to Italy, enlisting a prominent businessman and onetime reality television star for a prime diplomatic post.

President-elect Donald Trump is once against tapping the world of professional sports to bolster his second administration, naming billionaire Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta as his nominee for U.

Trump said Fertitta is an “accomplished business” with a “long history of giving back to the community through numerous philanthropic initiatives”.