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Is Jeff Bezos REALLY Buying Boston Celtics? NBA Insider Reveals
Boston Celtics is on the market for sale, and according to an NBA insider, Jeff Bezos can buy the franchise.
According to a recent report, one of the richest people on the planet is showing interest in the Celtics' search for a new owner. According to Bill Simmons of The Ringer, there is a rumor circulating that Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon, will be among the top contenders to acquire the Celtics franchise.
Simmons said on his podcast, “In the last few days, there’s been some, I think, legitimate buzz about Jeff Bezos buying the Celtics, and I think it’s real. I think he’s gonna be one of the suitors. Which got me thinking, Jeff Bezos when he’s looking at the Celtics, what is he seeing? What does he want? And I think the only way it makes sense is that it’s one of the crown jewel franchises. That’s why you get it. To him, it would be no different than if you bought this famous gigantic $300 million yacht, but I think it’s real that he’s potentially in the mix for this.”
Based on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bezos is currently the second wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $200 billion. According to the Financial Times, Bezos reportedly expressed interest in buying the Washington Commanders last year, but Josh Harris and his ownership group outbid him for $6.05 billion.
In his podcast, Simmons hypothesizes that the NBA is hoping for a record price to acquire the Celtics because of the possible impact on future expansion in the next ten years.
“The league wants $6 billion for the Celtics (sale),” Simmons said. “They don’t own their arena. It’s a crazy price, but they are probably going to get it. There’s that. They want the $6 billion because they want expansion teams in Seattle and Vegas. They want to get $6 billion a piece for the expansion of the two franchises, which would mean a check for 400 million dollars for all 30 NBA owners."
He added, “The Grousbeck family, the dad (Irv Grousbeck) is driving the sale. He’s 90, he’s a legend. He’s going to 25 times what he paid for the team. He just wants the highest price. He doesn’t care (about the local guys). He wants the biggest price he can get.”
To act as advisors during the bidding process, which is anticipated to be concluded during the upcoming 2024–25 season, the Celtics hired two banks earlier this month: JPMorgan and BDT & MSD Partners.
In addition to the New York Post's earlier report this month indicating that RedBird Capital and the Fenway Sports Group are also considering bids, current Celtics minority owner Stephen Pagliuca has already stated his interest in acquiring the team.
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