Less than a month after being consecrated as the new champions and the most successful team in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), once again the Boston Celtics are on everyone’s lips among American basketball fans and undoubtedly, in the global sports scene, as it was announced this Monday, July 1st, that the team owners have made the decisive decision to put the franchise up for sale.
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It is common knowledge that the prices of the teams in the best basketball league in the world are among the highest in all global sports disciplines, however, in the last decade there has been a marked trend of increase in values, as exemplified by the Phoenix Suns, a team acquired last February 2023 by businessman Mat Ishbaia, for the enormous amount of 4 billion dollars.
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The Celtics, being one of the most popular NBA teams, with 18 championships to surpass their arch-rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, and also having a solid base of players with a mix of experience and youth that would allow them to remain at the top of the sports world, at least in the next 5 years, make their cost potentially exceed current economic figures and set a historic monetary precedent.
More than 5 billion dollars
Wycliffe "Wyc" Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca are the creators of the Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C group, who in 2002 bought the team from the capital of the state of Massachusetts for 360 million dollars. During their tenure, the team achieved glory on two occasions: in 2008 against the Lakers, and now in 2024, by defeating Luka Docic's Dallas Mavericks.
According to the New York Times, the amount aspired to acquire the Celtics rounds between 4.7 billion and a little over 5 billion dollars.
Regarding the details, it was revealed that the sale would take place over 4 years and in 2 parts: the first payment in early 2025 and the second part in 2028. A key detail: Grousbeck will remain as the owner until the full payment is made.