NBA approves record sale of the Boston Celtics for US$6.1 billion

BOSTON.— The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved this Wednesday the sale of the Boston Celtics to a group led by private equity magnate Bill Chisholm, in a deal that values the historic franchise at more than US$6.1 billion, the highest figure ever paid for a professional sports team in the United States.

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The transaction, which will close in the coming days, will give Chisholm control of 51% of the team immediately, with the option to acquire the entirety in 2028, which would raise the total value of the deal to US$7.3 billion. This move breaks the previous record of US$6.05 billion paid by the Washington Commanders of the NFL in 2023, and far surpasses the highest amount recorded in the NBA, the US$4.00 billion that Mat Ishbia paid for the Phoenix Suns that same year. Bill Chisholm, originally from Massachusetts and a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is a managing partner at Symphony Technology Group, based in California. The new ownership group also includes Boston businessman Rob Hale —current shareholder of the Celtics— and Bruce Beal Jr. The now former owner Wyc Grousbeck led the acquisition of the team in 2002 for US$360 million, a stage in which the franchise won championships in 2008 and 2024. With 18 NBA titles, the Celtics are the most decorated team in league history. Chisholm beat out at least two rival bids, including that of former Celtics minority partner Steve Pagliuca, who recently announced his intention to buy the Connecticut Sun WNBA franchise for US$325 million and move it to Boston, a move still subject to the approval of the WNBA Board of Governors.