William Chisholm to Buy Boston Celtics in $6.1 Billion Deal

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A group led by William Chisholm and backed by private equity fund Sixth Street has reached an agreement to buy the Boston Celtics, according to multiple people familiar with the agreement, in what will be the most expensive NBA team sale in history.

The managing partner of Symphony Technology Group, Chisholm has agreed to buy the team in two stages, which was the stated goal of the Celtics’ current ownership, led by the Grousbeck family. The deal values the team at $6.1 billion in the first payment.

Irving and Wyc Grousbeck announced the deal Thursday morning in a letter to Celtics investors. Sixth Street has committed more than $1 billion to the deal as an equity partner, according to multiple people familiar with the process. The group also includes Rob Hale, a current Celtics investor, and Bruce A. Beal Jr., president of Related Companies.

“This was an extremely thorough, rigorous sale process,” the Grousbecks said in the letter. “We had tremendous interest from potential control owners and we’re grateful for the considerable time and effort bidders put in over the past few months, especially. In the end, Bill and the group he put together came in with a superior final bid.”

Wyc Grousbeck will remain the team’s governor through the 2027-28 season.

The agreement concludes a sale that was closely tracked, both in the NBA and other U.S. leagues, as a barometer for sports valuations overall. The Celtics are among the NBA’s most successful and most popular franchises, but they are a tenant in their arena and own just a small piece of their local media partner. Sportico values the team at $5.66 billion. A common question among insiders over the past few months has been whether the team would sell for more or less than $6 billion.

This deal carries a blended valuation of about $6.6 billion. That’s by far the most ever paid for control of an NBA team, eclipsing the $4 billion valuation when Mat Ishbia bought the Phoenix Suns a few years ago.

Chisholm was born and raised in Massachusetts and attended Dartmouth College, as did two of his children. He is the…

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Source link : https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2025/bill-chisholm-celtics-sale-6-1-billion-1234843982/

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Publish date : 2025-03-20 13:52:00

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