Billionaire Bill Chisholm, managing partner of Symphony Technology Groups has agreed to purchase the NBA’s Boston Celtics from the Grousbeck family for a record 6.1 billion dollars, the team announced.
This is the largest sale of a sports franchise in North American sports history. Josh Harris’ purchase of the NFL’s Washington Commanders had the previous record at 6.05 billion in 2023.
The Grousbeck family owned the Celtics for the last 23 years, buying the team in 2002 for 360 million dollars. A huge payout for their family and a big win for the NBA, as franchise valuations have never been higher.
Chisholm told ESPN’s Shams Charania that this was a dream come true for him, being a fan of the Boston team since the age of 7.
“I bleed green. I love the Celtics. When this opportunity came up, I couldn’t pass it up.”
Chisholm also expressed that he does not expect to make major changes with the current regime in place for the Celtics.
“Wyc (Grousbeck) has done an incredible job running this franchise. So why would you mess that up? The team is in a great place right now, and I’m very sensitive to that. Wyc, Brad (Stevens) and Joe (Mazzulla) have done amazing jobs and that’s all goodness that we want to continue.”
