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Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie downplays talk of buying Celtics
"I would never say never, but I’m not looking to own another sports franchise."
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie brushed aside reports on Monday linking him as an interested party in the ongoing sale of the Boston Celtics.
Lurie — a Boston native and well-established fan of several local teams in the area — was tabbed by The Ringer’s Bill Simmons as one of the four or five potential buyers of the NBA franchise who made it to the first round of bidding for the reigning NBA champions.
“The Celtics, it was their first round of buyers, they had to cut down their prospective buyers,” Simmons said. “Four or five people made the first round. One of the people was the Eagles owner, Jeffrey Lurie, who is apparently from Massachusetts. There’s been a couple of ‘Hmm, I wonder who these guys are?’ There are a couple I couldn’t figure out but that’s one.”
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But speaking at Monday’s Super Bowl Opening Night festivities in New Orleans, Lurie told The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin and other reporters that he has no interest in buying the Celtics.
“No, I’m not really interested in acquiring another sports team,” Lurie, 73, said on Monday. “I would never say never, but I’m not looking to own another sports franchise. The Celtics, again, are exceptional. They’re so well run. They’re so talented. It’s my childhood team. However, I do not expect that to happen.”
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Lurie has presided over the Eagles as team owner since 1994, with Philadelphia advancing to three Super Bowls over that extended stretch — including the upcoming Super Bowl LIX matchup against the Chiefs on Sunday evening.
Even though Lurie dismissed talk of expanding his portfolio to the NBA, he did acknowledge that it doesn’t take much to draw the ties between him and a team like the Celtics.
“I think it’s connected because they’re my childhood team,” Lurie said. “I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for their whole culture. I sort of see it as like a kindred soul in the NBA. Wyc [Grousbeck] has been an outstanding owner, I love the way they’ve developed that team and we’ve got to celebrate so many banners over the years.
“[But] it’s not something that’s top of mind. My whole focus is on my love of the Eagles and to win another Super Bowl for Philadelphia.”
Lurie’s love of Boston-area teams has been well-documented, as he became a season-ticket holder of the Boston Patriots in 1960 and retold stories with Clark University’s alumni magazine of sleeping outside Boston Garden to snag tickets to Celtics and Bruins games.
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Lurie — along with Eagles players like Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown — were also in attendance for Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Celtics and Mavericks at TD Garden.
“I love Boston and have a lot of family there still, and really appreciate the incredible fan base,” Lurie told The Boston Globe in 2023. “The Celtics and Bruins gave me so much pleasure growing up as a kid. I would, believe it or not, sleep outside on Causeway Street to get standing-room-only Bruins playoff tickets.
“Certainly Bobby Orr, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, it gave me more joy than anything growing up. I always have an affection for Boston, it’s a great city.”
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