The Celtics' ownership group agreed to sell the team to William Chisholm, the managing director and co-founder of Symphony Technology Group, for $6.1 billion — the highest sum paid for a sports team in North American history.
The team last sold for $360 million in 2002, and the Grousbeck family (the lead investor in the ownership group) announced in June, just weeks after the Celtics won their 18th NBA title, that the team was going up for sale for estate and family-planning purposes.
The previous record was established in 2023, when an ownership group led by Josh Harris bought the Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder for $6.05 billion.
A Snyder-led group had owned the majority of the Commanders franchise since 1999, when it purchased the team for $800 million, the highest price ever paid for a sports team at the time.
The Celtics' sale surpasses the previous NBA record by more than $2 billion. Mortgage lender Mat Ishbia paid $4 billion in 2023 to purchase the majority stake in the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
The valuations of NBA teams have risen steadily in the past decade, starting with Steve Ballmer’s purchase of the Clippers for $2 billion in 2014.
Since then, prices have only gone up. In addition to the Celtics and Suns, NBA teams among the top 10 most-expensive sports franchise sales are the Houston Rockets ($2.2 billion in 2017), Brooklyn Nets ($2.4 billion in 2019), and Milwaukee Bucks ($3.5 billion in 2023).
In addition to Chisholm, the new Celtics ownership group includes Boston business executives such as current Celtics co-owner Robert Hale, president of Related Companies Bruce Beal Jr., and the global investment firm Sixth Street.
Here’s a look at the 10 highest prices paid for North American sports franchises.
- Boston Celtics (2025), $6.1 billion
- Washington Commanders (2023), $6.05 billion
- Denver Broncos (2022), $4.7 billion
- Phoenix Suns (2023), $4 billion
- Milwaukee Bucks (2023), $3.5 billion
- New York Mets (2020), $2.4 billion
- Brooklyn Nets (2019), $2.4 billion
- Carolina Panthers (2018), $2.2 billion
- Houston Rockets (2017), $2.2 billion
- Los Angeles Dodgers (2012), $2 billion
Information from previous Globe reports was used in this report.
Emma Healy can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @ByEmmaHealy.