Bill Chisholm was something of an underdog when the Celtics unexpectedly put the franchise up for sale in the weeks following their 2024 NBA championship, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes in an in-depth profile of the team’s new owner (subscription required).
As Himmelsbach outlines, there was initially hope within the organization that Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, who already owned about 20% of the franchise, would take over majority control of the team, and there were doubts about Chisholm’s ability to raise the necessary capital. But when it became clear that the group of potential buyers didn’t include anyone who could easily outbid Chisholm, he became more confident about his odds.
“It felt like if there’s a unicorn out there, if a Jeff Bezos is in the mix, forget it,” Chisholm said. “But I just didn’t hear that. It was like, ‘I like my chances here.’ The (Pagliuca) thing was a wild card, obviously.”
Chisholm grew up as a Celtics fan and impressed governor Wyc Grousbeck and other team executives with his genuine passion for the team. More importantly, Chisholm’s bid for the franchise came in about $100MM higher than the next-closest offer. It was also $500MM above Pagliuca’s bid, though that offer was fully funded.
The Celtics ultimately decided to go with Chisholm and reached a deal in March of 2025, which included an agreement that he would have until December 31 to fully fund the transaction. Chisholm spent the next few months working the phones to bring in minority investors and raise the capital necessary to finalize the deal, which was officially approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors in August.
The new Celtics owner told Himmelsbach that he would have had to pay a break-up free worth “several hundred million dollars” if he hadn’t fully funded his bid — he’s relieved that it ultimately wasn’t an issue.
“That was my biggest calculated risk of the whole deal,” Chisholm said. “I wouldn’t say it was irresponsible, but it was a risk.”
We have more on the Celtics:
- Celtics wing Jaylen Brown racked up 34 points on Monday vs. Detroit but also missed seven free throws in a game the team lost by seven points. He shouldered the blame for the defeat, as Jay King of The Athletic writes. “I’ve got to do better to get my team over the hump,” Brown said. “In my mind, I didn’t have my best game tonight, so that’s on me. Especially in the fourth quarter, just some mindset plays. Foul. Staying down on the shot fake. Had a turnover in the fourth and then just too many missed free throws. Just mentality-wise, mindset-wise, I needed to be more for my team. I wasn’t tonight.”
- Informed of Brown’s post-game comments, guard Derrick White said his teammate was being too hard on himself, according to King. “I think that’s kind of what makes him special,” White said on Monday. “He had 30-something (points) and still wants to do better for us, and so that’s what makes him special. He’s probably his toughest critic, and we know that he’s going to bounce back and continue to do special things for us. And so, obviously, this loss isn’t on him. It’s on all of us, and we got his back, but that’s just kind of the guy he is in this and why we love playing with him.”
- Jarell Christian, the general manager of the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine, is leaving the team to become an assistant coach for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Christian has past coaching experience, having held assistant positions at multiples colleges, in the G League, and with the Wizards. He also spent one year as the head coach of the Capital City Go-Go (2018/19) and another coaching the Maine Celtics (2021/22).
- As the Celtics prepare for trade season, Brian Robb of MassLive.com takes a look at the assets available to the team, where Boston stands in relation to the tax and apron lines, and what the club’s goals should be. Finding another true center figures to be a top priority for the Celtics, who will also likely assess whether it makes sense to try to duck out of the tax, Robb writes.
You have to give the Celtics credit. They are pulling it together. The fourth seed at 15–11. Jalen is playing — 29.3 pts, 6.2 ast, 5 reb. Those are MVP numbers. White is also having a big year. Celtics are a real playoff team. Celtics are not the Pacers lol..