The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics will soon be under new ownership. The franchise’s current ownership group agreed to sell the club to William Chisholm for a record $6.1 billion, agencies representing both sides involved in the sale confirmed to The Associated Press.
ESPN and Sportico were among those first reporting the agreement for the sale.
Chisholm is the managing partner of Symphony Technology Group, a private equity firm based in California. The $6.1 billion figure represents the highest purchase price for a sports team in North American history. An investment group led by Josh Harris previously set the mark in 2023 when it bought the NFL’s Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder for $6.05 billion.
The Boston Celtics’ logo at the TD Banknorth Garden before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers Nov. 28, 2008, in Boston. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
Chisholm grew up in Massachusetts and has been a Celtics fan for years, The Boston Globe reported. Current Celtics co-owner Robert Hale is part of the incoming ownership group, according to The Globe. Bruce Beal Jr., president of Related Companies, is also one of the investors in the new group.
Shortly after the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s NBA Finals, the Grousbeck family’s Boston Basketball Partners LLC revealed its intention to sell the franchise. The family cited estate and family-planning purposes. The family has controlled the storied franchise since 2002, when the group
