Jeff Bezos To Make Ownership Bid For Celtics?

The Boston Celtics are for sale and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos may be in line to make a bid, per Bill Simmons of the Ringer.

“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,” Simmons said on his podcast. “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.”

Current owner Wyc Grousbeck suggested he intends the Celtics to put the team up for sale, making it known shortly after the franchise won its 18th championship last season.

Along with Bezos, no less than Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James also has been linked to a potential purchase of the Celtics.

The Celtics have hired JPMorgan and BDT & MSD Partners to begin the sales process.

“Boston Red Sox Owner Fenway Sports Group and RedBird Capital that partner closely with LeBron James are seriously considering bidding for the Celtics, sources close to the situation said,” wrote Josh Kosman of the New York Post. “James, who still stars for the Lakers, could not be a part of Celtics ownership now, sources said. But with the sale being a two-step process — where 49 percent of the team isn’t sold until 2028 — he could easily still end up being an owner of the Lakers’ hated rivals as the 39-year-old should be retired by that time.”

James, arguably the greatest player in NBA history, became a billionaire in 2022. 

Grousbeck is putting up 51% of the team for sale now and the remaining 49% around the time he resigns as the team’s owner in 2028.