Irv y Wyc Grousbeck have been part of the Boston Celtics ownership group since the Boston Basketball Partners purchased the team in 2002.
Now, the father-son duo is preparing to turn the page. “estate and family planning considerations”as the eldest Grousbeck turns 90.
Wyc Grousbeck will remain at the helm of the Celtics through the 2028 season. That will give him time to bring another title to Boston.
Even so, The majority stake is expected to be sold by early 2025 at the latest. That will leave Celtics fans curious to know who will take over their team in the future.
In any case, it will be different for Boston. The younger Grousbeck grew up a die-hard Celtics fan, giving him a unique bond with the franchise, but the Celtics’ search for a suitor will be more for money than for hobby in 2024.
This has led many to speculate that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos could buy the team. He has already been talked about as a suitor by sports organizations – most notably the NFL’s Washington Commanders – and if he shows interest in buying an NBA team, It would be difficult for anyone to challenge their purchasing power.
Here’s what you need to know about the rumors surrounding Bezos and the Celtics.
Will Jeff Bezos buy the Celtics?
Bill Simmons, de The Ringerreported in a recent podcast that there is a “legitimate rumor” regarding Jeff Bezos’ purchase of the Celtics.
“I think it’s real”Simmons said. “I think that will be one of the suitors“.
Could Jeff Bezos buy the Boston Celtics?@BillSimmons shares what he’s hearing regarding the sale of the team and how it ties into the price of future expansion franchises: pic.twitter.com/HI7KyUIanj
— The Ringer (@ringer) August 19, 2024
That doesn’t guarantee that the Amazon founder and CEO will bid for the team, but would be a sensible fit.
The Celtics currently have at least $201.6 million in salaries in each of the next four seasons. That will make them a long-term team that will pay the luxury tax and will need an owner with a lot of money to cover his expenses.
Bezos is the second richest person in the world behind only Elon Muskwhich could easily fund the retention of Boston’s NBA title-winning core.
It should also be noted that the Celtics currently lease their space at TD Garden to the NHL’s Boston Bruins. Bezos could be interested in funding a dedicated basketball arena as part of his purchase, as Simmons notes.
“Why is Jeff Bezos looking at the Celtics – what is he looking at?” Simmons posited. “What does he want?”
“Is the move for him, sort of an Amazon stadium? Is the ultimate move for him to build some sort of state-of-the-art stadium that’s never been done before for concerts and for basketball, and it’s like the Amazon dome, and then that becomes another thing that he did?”
Such possibilities certainly make Bezos an attractive option for Celtics fans — even if he’s not a lifelong Celtics fan like current team governor Wyc Grousbeck, son of owner Irv Grousbeck.
The only question is whether Bezos will consider making a high-profile bid to acquire the NBA’s most successful franchise.
How much do the Boston Celtics cost?
The Celtics are likely to sell for around $6 billionaccording to Bill Simmons.
“The league wants $6 billion for the Celtics,” Simmons said. “It’s a crazy price, but they’re probably going to get it.”
The NBA wants to get that benefit from Boston because it will help set the price for potential expansion teams the league might add. Simmons said the NBA is exploring adding two expansion teams to the mix, with Seattle, Las Vegas and Mexico City all looming as targets.
“They want to get $6 billion each for the two expansion franchises,” Simmons said, “which would mean a $400 million check for each NBA owner.”
If Bezos buys the Celtics, he would be among the owners who would receive $400 million from the expansion. That could convince him to act quickly and make the move if he is, in fact, interested in buying an NBA team.
And given his goal of raising $6 billion for each of his eventual expansion teams, the NBA would likely welcome Bezos’s spending power with open arms.
How much money does Jeff Bezos have?
Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $195.6 billion as of Monday, August 19, according to ForbesThat makes him the second richest person in the world, behind only Elon Musk ($246.9 billion).
Bezos would become the richest NBA owner if he were to acquire a franchise. Clippers owner, Steve Ballmerwhich occupies the tenth place in the world with a net worth of $123.7 billion, currently leads the NBA list.
