There’s ‘legitimate buzz’ about Jeff Bezos buying Celtics

As the Celtics continue to peruse offers in search of a new ownership group, longtime hoops scribe Bill Simmons believes that one of the wealthiest people in the world is interested in buying the legendary basketball franchise.

Simmons, speaking on his podcast on The Ringer network, noted on Monday that Jeff Bezos — the founder, executive chairman, and former president of e-commerce giant Amazon  — is interested in opening his wallet and buying the Celtics. 

“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. I think he’s gonna be one of the suitors,” Simmons said on his podcast Monday. “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.”

Bezos certainly has the capital to purchase the Celtics, with Forbes currently tabbing him as the second-wealthiest person in the world at $196.7 billion. This would not be the first time that Bezos put his name in the bidding for a sports franchise, as he was linked to the sale of the Washington Commanders last year before getting outbid by eventual owner Josh Harris and his ownership group. 

According to Simmons, having an owner with deep pockets like Bezos joining the league would be a welcome result — as a potential $6 billion selling point for the Celtics could set the market as the league begins weighing expansion in the coming years. 

“It’s a crazy price, but they’re probably gonna get it,” Simmons said. “They want the $6 billion because they want expansion teams in Seattle and Vegas — and Mexico City’s kind of looming as the third team — but they want to get $6 billion apiece for the two franchises for expansion, which would mean a check of $400 million to every NBA owner, all 30.

“The Grousbeck family, the dad (Irv Grousbeck) is driving the sale. He’s 90, he’s a legend. He’s going to 25 times what he paid for the team. He just wants the highest price. … He wants the biggest price he can possibly get.”

Back on July 1, Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck announced that Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C. — the ownership group for the team — planned on selling its shares of the franchise, just weeks after Boston captured its record-setting 18th championship. 

In an interview with CNBC a week later, Grousbeck acknowledged that the ownership group expects to complete the sale in two parts — echoing the language noted in the team’s statement as far as Grousbeck’s plans to remain on as Governor of the team until 2028.

“The plan, the expectation is to sell the team in two parts, 51 percent going fairly soon,” Grousbeck said. “Forty-nine percent then closing in a second closing, that’s the expectation in 2028. I’m planning or expected to stay on until 2028 and we’re going to hire bankers and advisors and this is going to be quite a bidding process.”

Beyond Bezos’ speculated involvement in the ongoing bidding process, other potential buyers have emerged over the past month — with minority owner Stephen Pagliuca already expressing an interest in buying the team.