HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, a vegetarian and animal rights advocate, will sell plenty of meat when he gains control of concession stands at the city's new arena next year.

"In this particular case I have no choice," Alexander said, calling a meatless U.S. sports arena financially "unreasonable."

Alexander, the multimillionaire bond trader who splits time among a Houston apartment, a New York home and an office in Boca Raton, Fla., bought the team in 1993 and has been a tenant at Compaq Center ever since.

While he receives no money from concessions at the Rockets' current home, Alexander will oversee food and drink sales at the new place. This week, Alexander said he would make meat-free foods and other non-traditional arena items available alongside standbys like hot dogs.

"We are not going to push it, but it's going to be easier for people who are vegetarians, who are Asian and who are Hispanic to get the food they want," Alexander said. "We are going to make it more encompassing."

Alexander previously has found other avenues to promote animal rights through the Rockets. Complimentary media meals usually are vegetarian, the team's dance squad sometimes wears "Animals Have Rights" shirts and he outlawed using creature-shaped pinatas during game promotions.

His soon-to-be-ex-wife Nanci, who leads an animal rights group in Florida, has lobbied the NBA to stop using leather balls and reportedly refused to live in Houston because of the prominent annual rodeo.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which counts the Alexanders among its strongest supporters, said Tuesday it supports Alexander's efforts even though he'll soon be profiting from meat sales.

"He's in charge of his money and his first interest is making sure his investment pays off," PETA campaign coordinator Dan Shannon said from his Norfolk, Va., office. "I think if he's offering other options, that will be very exciting and will be a huge step forward in itself."

Coincidentally, the group rated nearby Minute Maid Park, the Houston Astros' home, as among the most vegetarian-friendly Major League Baseball stadiums. New Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's expansion Texans, concentrates on traditional meaty fare and the team even promotes barbecue recipes for pregame tailgaters on its Web site.

The Harris County-Houston Sports Authority has sold $256 million in bonds, backed by hotel and car rental taxes, to build the new arena near the George R. Brown Convention Center. It will replace Compaq Center, which was called The Summit when it opened in the autumn of 1975.