The Boston Celtics were put up for sale by Wyc Grousbeck after the team won its 18th NBA championship in June, which caught everyone off guard including league commissioner Adam Silver. There were reports that Jeff Bezos was in the mix to become the next team owner, but the Amazon founder seems to have no plans to make a bid after all.
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Nick Wingfield of The Information recently reported that this was the case, according to a person close to Bezos. With that said, Grousebeck and co. would need to find a new suitor, especially after the Fenway Sports Group has dropped out of the race to buy the team.
According to reports, Wyc Grousbeck’s shares are valued at roughly $5 billion, which is a record high for the controlling stake of an NBA franchise.
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Either way, the next owner of the Boston Celtics will have a huge responsibility since they’ll be shelling out a lot of money to maintain their championship core in the next few years. As currently constructed, the Boston Celtics are the NBA’s first $500 million roster, which puts them over the dreaded second tax apron.
Bill Simmons on the Boston Celtics’ ownership situation
The Ringer CEO Bill Simmons was the one who reported in August about Jeff Bezos’ apparent interest in owning the Boston Celtics.
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“The Celtics themselves, the Grousbeck family, the dad of the majority owner Wyc is driving the sale. He’s 90, he’s a legend, he’s going to (get) 25 times what he paid for the team, and he just wants the highest price, he’s not like, ‘Oh these local guys, let’s cut them a deal.’ He doesn’t care, he wants the biggest price he could possibly get.
“In the last few days there’s been some legitimate buzz about Jeff Bezos buying the Celtics and I think it’s real, I think he’s going to be one of the suitors,” he added.
