The billionaire Jeff Bezos, a strong candidate to acquire one of the most legendary franchises in the NBA, which is already up for sale.
The Boston Celtics, one of the most legendary franchises in NBA history, are up for sale. The current owner, Wyc Grousbeck, has announced his intention to sell the team. Despite the steep price of around $6 billion, several potential buyers have already expressed interest.
Rich Businessmen ready to invest in the NBA
Despite the high valuation, there is no shortage of interested buyers, with the most prominent being billionaire Jeff Bezos, the owner and founder of Amazon. Bezos is reportedly willing to pay the hefty price to become the new owner of the Massachusetts-based team, according to Bill Simmons, a highly respected sports analyst, particularly in the NBA.
“In recent days, there’s been a legitimate rumor about Jeff Bezos possibly buying the Celtics. I can confirm that his interest is real, and he will likely be one of the contenders… He’s potentially interested in purchasing the franchise,” said Simmons.
The Third Richest Man on the Planet
Money wouldn’t be an issue for Bezos, whose personal fortune is estimated at around $194.7 billion, making him the third richest person on the planet, behind Bernard Arnault ($233 billion) and Elon Musk ($195 billion). However, the main obstacle to his purchase might be a potential conflict of interest, as Amazon has just signed its first exclusive deal to broadcast NBA games as part of the new media rights negotiations.
If Bezos buys the Celtics as an individual owner, he could keep the Celtics’ business separate from Amazon. However, it’s unclear how NBA rules would handle the situation where the owner of one of their broadcasting partners also owns a team. There’s also uncertainty about how other franchise owners would view this, given the potential conflicts of interest that could arise if the purchase goes through.
Operational Challenges for the Celtics
There hasn’t been a more attractive NBA team sale in a long time, but the Celtics do have some operational challenges, such as not owning the TD Garden. This could be a headache for many potential buyers, but not for someone as wealthy as Bezos, who could easily navigate around these issues.
“It’s a ridiculous price, but the NBA will probably get it. They want $6 billion, the same amount they would ask for new expansion teams in Seattle and Las Vegas, and probably Mexico City as well.”
— Bill Simmons, renowned NBA analyst
Simmons also revealed on his podcast that the NBA is aiming to set a $6 billion price tag for the Celtics, the same amount they expect to charge interested parties when the league expands to Las Vegas and Seattle. “The league wants $6 billion for the Celtics. They don’t own their arena. It’s an outrageous price, but they’ll probably get it. They want $6 billion, the same figure they’ll ask for new expansion teams in Seattle, Las Vegas, and possibly Mexico City, which is shaping up to be a third team,” Simmons explained.
According to the same source, all these transactions would result in a very lucrative extra benefit for all the franchises in the league, as they would share the profits: “They want to get $6 billion for each of the two expansion franchises, which would mean a $400 million check for each of the 30 NBA owners. So they’re trying to set that price for the Celtics as well.”
