What Jayson Tatum, Joe Mazzulla said of new Celtics owner Bill Chisholm
Mazzulla said Chisholm shared his vision for the Celtics in his first conversation with the new team's owner, saying he was "excited" to get to work with him.
When it was announced that Bill Chisholm won the bidding process to become the next owner of the Celtics, not many people had heard of him.
It turns out that Chisholm, a Georgetown native and managing partner of Symphony Technology Group, is a big fan of the Celtics. He has an “encyclopedic knowledge” of the franchise and recorded hype videos prior to each of their playoff games last season, according to The Boston Globe‘s Adam Himmelsbach.
As the general public continues to learn about Chisholm, Celtics players are also just getting to know who he is, too.
“Everything you all heard. He grew up around the area, big Boston fan,” Tatum told reporters on what he knows about Chisholm. “He’s proud of what we’ve accomplished and understands what the Celtics mean to the city and the NBA. He wanted to be a part of that and help take it forward any way he can.”
Tatum and the rest of the Celtics’ roster haven’t spoken with Chisholm just yet, but the incoming owner has had chats with some key people within the organization. He’s met with president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla.
Chisholm’s first meeting with Mazzulla took place on Thursday, with the Celtics coach saying it was “great to connect with him.”
“He just shared his vision, his excitement,” Mazzulla told reporters ahead of the Celtics’ win over the Jazz on Friday. “I think it’s great we have a guy from [Massachusetts] that’s [going to] continue to carry this. He just kind of shared his vision of his leadership and what it looks like. I’m looking forward to getting to know him more.”
While Chisholm’s background as a Celtics fan might be promising for the team’s long-term success, there is one potential concern in the immediate future as the franchise changes hands. Boston’s payroll is set to balloon to over $500 million in the 2025-26 season, which some have speculated could be too large of a financial burden for any owner to take.
Whether Chisholm slashes payroll won’t be answered until the offseason, but Mazzulla seemed hopeful about the future of the Celtics under the new owner while thanking the departing group.
“Just continue to win championships, continue to be a high-level organization on and off the court, and he obviously has a lot of experience doing that in other endeavors,” Mazzulla said. “So just continuing to work to make the Celtics better, and then kind of give us a shot every year to go after a championship. So I’m excited about that.
“At the same time, you’re grateful for what our past ownership has done for us. I think it’s important to recognize that as well. They’ve been great. They left it better than they found it, which is a huge key. I’m grateful to Wyc [Grousbeck] and [Steve Pagliuca] and that group, and now we have a new group and the mission remains the same: Win at all costs and try to build a great organization and culture.”
Grousbeck will still be around the organization in the interim. As part of the sale, Grousbeck was offered and agreed to remain with the franchise as CEO and governor until the end of the 2027-28 season.
When the Grousbeck family announced in July that they were putting the Celtics up for sale, they shared their plan to have Grousbeck remain with the organization until 2028. As that plan was fulfilled, Tatum seemed to appreciate the line of communication he’s had with Grousbeck throughout the process.
“I talked to Wyc a few times,” Tatum said. “He’s still going to be around, and he kept me updated, saying whoever takes over will be great for the organization. I told Wyc I trust him, and I have no doubt things will continue to run smoothly.”
Pagliuca’s time with the team will likely come to an end. The Celtics co-owner shared in a statement that he was “thankful” to be a part of the organization for over two decades, though he said he would be ready to buy the team if Chisholm’s purchase falls through.
Tatum had gotten to know the Pagliuca family before the Celtics drafted him in 2017. Pagliuca’s son, Nick, was a teammate of his at Duke, where the elder Pagliuca attended school.
“I’ve known him for a long time and got to know his family well, his kids, and grandkids,” Tatum said. “So it’ll definitely be bittersweet and tough not to have him around. I’m just very thankful for him and the opportunity he gave me and what we were able to accomplish while we were working together.”
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