Few people in the world have the deep pockets to weigh in on the upcoming bidding process for the 18-time champion Boston Celtics, including Amazon founder and chairman Jeff Bezos.
The 60-year-old billionaire, the second-richest man in the world according to Forbes magazine, might have the financial wherewithal to replace current team president and majority shareholder Wyck Grousbeck, but that’s purely speculation. According to The Information’s Nick Wingfield, Bezos has “no plans” to join a bidding war.
Boston announced plans to sell a majority stake in the franchise less than three weeks after beating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, but the timing was clearly a surprise. It also paved the way for a wealthy individual like Bezos to be on the shortlist, making fans nervous and understandably anxious. The Celtics field the NBA’s most expensive starting lineup (so far) with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, and they’re costing them more than $930 million to carry. That’s on top of the billions of dollars it would cost to buy the team in the first place.
Bezos entered the Celtics offseason discussions after The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, a longtime fan with deep connections to sources all over the league, linked the billionaire to the NBA’s most successful franchise. The pairing makes sense, considering Bezos is an all-in, business-first guy with the Celtics, reminiscent of the approach Steve Ballmer showed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
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“I think he’s going to be one of the candidates for a buyout,” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” “So it got me thinking: Why is Jeff Bezos looking at the Celtics? What does he see? What does he want? … The Celtics are one of the best franchises, so you’re going to get them? … I think there’s a real possibility that he’s on this buyout list.”
Grousbeck and Boston’s current ownership team purchased the Celtics for $360 million in 2002 and have led the team to four Finals appearances (2008, 2010, 2022 and 2024) and two championships (2008 and 2024).