Report: Boston Celtics being sold for record-setting $6.1 billion

The Boston Celtics have found a new owner. William Chisholm, managing director of Symphony Technology Group has purchased the franchise for a record-setting $6.1 billion, per a report by The Boston Globe.

It’s a record-setting sale. The $6.1 billion is the highest price tag for a sports franchise in North America.

Prior to this, in the NBA, the 2022 sale of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury for $4 billion was the highest value paid for a franchise. Across North American sports, the Denver Broncos in the NFL were the previous highest price tag for a team, going for $4.65 billion.

The Celtics were previously owned by Wyc Grousbeck. A Massachusetts native, Grousbeck was a partner at Highland Capital Partners before buying the franchise in 2002 for $360 million. Over the course of more than two decades, he’d win two NBA Championships and continued to increase the franchise’s value.

However, Grousbeck made his interest in selling the team clear following the team’s most recent championship in 2024. Prior to Grousbeck, the Celtics were owned by Don Gaston, Paul Dupee, and Alan Cohen, who bought the team for $15 million in 1983.

Last July, Grousbeck announced his intention to sell a majority of the team. The Grousbeck family is selling the Celtics for estate and family planning considerations. Notably, he is expected to remain governor through the ownership transition.

In February 2025, CNBC released its NBA franchise valuations. That saw the Celtics as the seventh-highest valued team at $5.5 billion, though they obviously sold for more than that. The Warriors, Knicks, Lakers, Bulls, Rockets, and Nets all had higher valuations, with Golden State topping the list at $9.4 billion.

Chisholm is a California private equity director who grew up on the North Shore near Boston. He’s also been a lifelong Celtics fan as a result. Symphony Technology Group is based in California and claims to work toward helping companies reach their full potential. Chisholm previously co-founded The Valent Group.

The Celtics are widely considered one of the, if not the singularly, most successful franchises in NBA history. Their 18 NBA Championships are the most of any in all of the league’s history. The first of those was in 1957, and the most recent was in 2024. Along the way, 41 members of the Basketball Hall of Fame have played for Boston. That includes legends like Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Robert Parish.

This season, the Celtics are 50-19 and in second place in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. They’re considered one of the favorites to make a run at another championship.