The Boston Celtics opened the door to a wave of speculation when the organization announced its intention to sell its majority stake – currently tied to Wyc Grousbeck — less than three weeks before the city’s streets filled with confetti and champagne are cleaned after the team’s NBA Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
It took 64 regular-season wins, 13 playoff wins, including five Finals appearances, for the Celtics to win their NBA-record 18th Larry O’Brien Trophy, but less than a month for the owners to announce the stunning news. Grousbeck and partner Steve Pagliuca led the current ownership group’s initial purchase of the franchise for $360 million in 2002, but after winning their second championship together, and with an opportunity to cash in on a nice profit, the chance to lead the Celtics’ next great dynasty is up for grabs – if your pockets are deep enough.
Among those likely to seize the opportunity to leave their mark on the most successful franchise in NBA history are 60-year-old billionaire Jeff Bezos; second richest person in the world, according to Fobes.
The Amazon founder was considered a candidate to replace Grousbeck when The Ringer’s Bill Simmons claimed Bezos and the Celtics had “A legitimate buzz” in preparation. However, less than 24 hours later, Nick Wingfield information reported exactly the oppositeleaving the Bezos-Boston matchup entirely open to speculation — which, for the Celtics, could be good, bad or just down the middle.
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Here are the benefits:
1.) Bezos could immediately ease Boston’s payroll concerns
Alongside other billionaires like Warren Buffet and Elon Musk, Bezos is also among the richest individuals on the planet. Anyone who knows Bezos knows the incomprehensible tax bracket his wealth places him in. Therefore, a paltry $6 billion purchase of the Celtics would bring a sigh of relief to the biggest concern surrounding the team’s upcoming ownership transfer: payroll.
Made in Boston Jayson Tatum the NBA highest paid playerever, locking the 26-year-old to a five-year, $315 million supermax contract extension; after playing Jaylen Brown ($286 million), Kristaps Porzingis ($60 million), Jrue Holiday ($135 million) and Derrick White ($125 million), who created the NBA’s most expensive starting five at more than $930 million. Bezos can maintain that level without any problem while flirting with the idea of adding to Boston’s already deep roster to further bolster its title chances.
2.) The Celtics may no longer need to share TD Garden with their sister organization, the Boston Bruins
Four years ago, the Celtics agreed to a 15-year lease extension to keep TD Garden the team’s home through 2036. Aside from the unpleasant foot traffic that comes with building a professional sports arena directly above one of the city’s busiest train stations, there are plenty of benefits — including for Bezos, in particular — that could come from the Celtics packing up and building their own home.
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Bezos, who made it possible to order a phone charger and have it delivered to your door within 24 hours, may be following in the footsteps of Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer in creating the next high-tech stadium — in America’s most passionate sports market, no less. Three years ago, Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO, broke ground on the world’s most futuristic football stadium. construction of the Intuit domethe Clippers’ new home, set to open in 2024-25. The $2 billion project includes a halo-shaped scoreboard, a 51-row section reserved exclusively for home team fans, and has already secured hosting rights to the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.
Consider the bar officially set.
3.) The (hard) work has already been done
There is literally nothing left to do.
Boston has a star-studded roster, a respected head coach in Joe Mazzulla, a genius leader in Brad Stevens, young mid-level stars in Tatum and Brown, an Eastern Conference that is, once again, up for grabs, and a loyal fan base that has their eyes on them from start to finish every night. That leaves Bezos with the ability to run the (financially feasible) business side of things, watching the Celtics fight for title after title while receiving praise as the savior.
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Not bad, right?
Now… the downsides:
1.) Selling to a foreigner instead of a local might create a not-so-positive change
Very few teams in professional sports value tradition and the treasured history of past generations like the Celtics, and that’s part of what makes the organization one of the most iconic and respected brands of all time.
Boston is known for its easy-to-spot floor, where Larry Bird (in the 1980s), Paul Pierce (in the early 2000s), and Tatum (currently) have all played. Its crowd of knowledgeable and devoted fans has made TD Garden one of the toughest buildings for opposing players to play in and the most rewarding place for anyone to wear a Celtics uniform. It shapes the identity of the Celtics culture, a proud community that regularly hands out “Tommy Points”—in honor of Tom Heinsohn—to anyone willing to dive for a loose ball and play with a blue-collar attitude.
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Without the cultural makeup that separates the Celtics from other NBA fan bases, the (alleged) Amazon Dome will only attract a sea of cosplayers like LeBron James used to playing in front of the Los Angeles Lakers.
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2.) Bezos is not an official sports guru; he is a businessman
The Washington Commanders NFL franchise attracted Bezos’ interest when then-owners Dan and Tanya Snyder were forced to sell the team following a wave of disturbing allegations of inappropriate behavior and conduct.
Washington is not Boston. Far from it.
Bezos would not be able to avoid any potential media scrutiny generated by the inherited pressure of being affiliated with the Celtics, especially as a majority shareholder. Consequently, Bezos would not be able to treat the franchise like a business and seek effective ways to reduce the team’s payroll through trades that would ultimately push the Celtics back from their current point of contention.
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Imagine what the outside of TD Garden, the Amazon Dome, or any other crowded complex the Celtics play in would look like if Bezos ordered Tatum and Brown separated. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight.
3.) The bar is set very high in the history of Celtics leadership
Walter Brown and Lou Pieri, Red Auerbach, Danny Ainge, Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn are just a few of the Celtics’ greatest iconic leaders of all time. From the owners to the front office to the stands, Boston has always had top-notch leadership, making the franchise one of the most storied in all of sports.
Besides sending out a few fast Amazon delivery Brink Trucks to financially support the team, can Bezos prove that he is the leader of a brand built not on appeasing shareholders with record profits, but on perpetuating the tradition of confetti, champagne, duck boat parades and winning — over and over again?
