Irv and Wyc Grousbeck have been involved in the Boston Celtics' ownership group since the Boston Basketball Partners purchased the team in 2002.
Now, the father-son duo are preparing to move on for "estate and family planning considerations" as the elder Grousbeck reaches his 90th birthday.
Wyc Grousbeck will continue to operate as the governor of the Celtics through the 2028 season. That will allow him time to bring another title to Boston.
Even so, the majority ownership stake is expected to be sold by early 2025 at the latest. That will leave Celtics fans curious about who will take charge of their team moving forward.
Either way, it will be different for Boston. The younger Grousbeck grew up a die-hard Celtics fan, giving him a unique tie to the franchise, but the search for a Celtics suitor will be more about money than fandom in 2024.
That has led many to speculate that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos could buy the team. He has been bandied about as a suitor for sports organizations before — most notably, the NFL's Washington Commanders — and if he shows an interest in buying an NBA team, it would be hard for anyone to mount a challenge to his buying power.
Here's what to know about the rumors surrounding Bezos and the Celtics.
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Will Jeff Bezos buy the Celtics?
The Information reported Tuesday that a person close to Bezos confirmed the tech tycoon "has no plans to bid on the Boston Celtics." Nevertheless, the prospect was an interesting one to consider.
The Ringer's Bill Simmons reported on a recent podcast that there was "legitimate buzz" around Bezos buying the Celtics.
"I think it's real," Simmons said. "I think he's going to be one of the suitors."
Could Jeff Bezos buy the Boston Celtics?@BillSimmons shares what he's hearing regarding the sale of the team and how it ties into the price of future expansion franchises: pic.twitter.com/HI7KyUIanj
— The Ringer (@ringer) August 19, 2024
That didn't guarantee that the Amazon founder and CEO would bid on the team, but it would have been a sensible fit.
The Celtics presently have at least $201.6 million in salaries in each of the next four seasons. That will make them a long-term, luxury tax-paying team that will need a deep-pocketed owner to cover its expenses.
Bezos is the second-richest person in the world behind only Elon Musk, so he could have easily financed the retention of Boston's NBA title-winning core.
It's also worth noting that the Celtics presently rent their arena space at the TD Garden from the NHL's Boston Bruins. Bezos could have been interested in financing a basketball-exclusive arena as part of his purchase, as Simmons notes.
"Why would Jeff Bezos when he's looking at the Celtics — what is he seeing?" Simmons posited. "What does he want?
"Is the play for him, some sort of Amazon stadium? Is the ultimate play for this to build some sort of state-of-the-art stadium that's never been done before for concerts and for basketball, and it's like the Amazon dome, and then that just becomes another thing he did?"
Such possibilities certainly made Bezos an appealing option to Celtics fans — even if he isn't a lifelong Celtics fan like current team governor Wyc Grousbeck, son of owner Irv Grousbeck.
The only question was whether Bezos would entertain making a high-end offer to acquire the NBA's winningest franchise.
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How much do the Celtics cost?
The Celtics are likely to sell for about $6 billion, according to Bill Simmons.
"The league wants $6 billion for the Celtics," Simmons reported. "It's a crazy price, but they're probably going to get it."
The NBA wants to get that return for Boston because it will help establish the price for potential expansion teams the league could add. Simmons mentioned the NBA is exploring adding two expansion teams to the mix, with Seattle, Las Vegas and Mexico City looming as targets.
"They want to get $6 billion a piece for the two franchises for expansion," Simmons reported, "which would mean a check of $400 million to every NBA owner."
If Bezos buys the Celtics, he would be included among the owners to get $400 million post-expansion. That could convince him to act quickly and strike if he is, in fact, interested in buying an NBA team.
And given its goal of obtaining $6 billion for each of its eventual expansion teams, the NBA would likely welcome Bezos' spending power with open arms.
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Jeff Bezos net worth
Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $195.6 billion as of Monday, Aug. 19, per Forbes. That makes him the second-richest person in the world behind only Elon Musk ($246.9 billion).
Bezos would become the richest owner in the NBA should he purchase a franchise. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer — who ranks 10th in the world with a net worth of $123.7 billion — currently tops the NBA's list.
