‘There’s a lot of interest’: What Wyc Grousbeck said about Celtics sale after White House trip
"I would say that the plan is that I will stay for three more years. That’s what’s laid out. We’ll go from there"
Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck was asked for an update on the upcoming sale of the franchise during the team’s trip to Washington D.C. on Thursday.
He said he plans to remain in his current role for three more years and that there was a lot of interest from prospective buyers, but did not offer many more details beyond that.
“I don’t have any comments on the sale process,” Grousbeck said. “It’s underway. There’s a lot of interest. That’s one comment, I guess. I would like to limit it to that. But, I would say that the plan is that I will stay for three more years. That’s what’s laid out. We’ll go from there.
“Having said that, I’d rather talk about this team that’s we have front of us right now,” he added. “(It) has the capacity to contend again. I think we’re contenders this year and we can be contenders in the future, and that’s what I’m most excited about.”
According to The Boston Globe, Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, Celtics limited partner Robert Hale, and Mark Bezos have publicly expressed interest in buying the Celtics.
Pagliuca, a senior advisor to the Bain Capital private equity team, is a Managing General Partner and co-owner of the Celtics. Bezos, a founding partner of HighPost Capital private equity group, is the half-brother of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Hale is the founder and CEO of Granite Communications. He is worth $5.8 billion according to Forbes and owns a minority stake in the Celtics.
With the sale underway, there could be bidders who have not made their interest public yet.
The ownership group announced its intentions to sell the team back in July. The plan is to sell a majority interest in the team this year or by early next year with the balance to be closed in 2028.
While it is unclear who will buy the team, there is little doubt that the Celtics are well-positioned to compete for a championship this year.
The defending champions have opened the season with a 12-3 record. They have returned the vast majority of last year’s team, and they have been competing without starting center Kristaps Porzingis.
Their entire starting five, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Porzingis are under contract through at least next season.
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