Bill Chisholm Beat Out Closest Competition for Celtics Ownership by Tiny Amount

Sep 25, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics lead owner and governor Bill Chisholm speaks during a press conference at Auerbach Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Bill Chisholm didn't see the sale of the Boston Celtics as merely an investment opportunity in one of the most iconic franchises in American sports. The Georgetown, MA native saw a chance to acquire his childhood team, something he never saw coming.

“Anyone who’s had their boyhood team or girlhood team and have this happen — I want to say it’s like a dream come true but… I didn’t even know to dream this," Chisholm told Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. "What does it mean to be the owner of the Boston Celtics? I don’t know.”

More news: Celtics Reunite with Former Superstar Isaiah Thomas After Bitter Trade Divorce

However, Chisholm's bid for the Celtics — whose former controlling owner Wyc Grousbeck put up for sale in the summer of 2024 — almost fell through.

Two sources with knowledge of the blind bidding process told The Athletic that Chisholm's $6.1 billion bid was less than $100 million more than the second-highest bid.

More news: Jaylen Brown Slams Celtics Teammates After Shocking Loss

Grousbeck's father, Irv, and a group of investors bought the team for $360 million in 2002. It was Irv who encouraged his children to sell the team in order to avoid a high estate tax, according to The Athletic. For Chisholm, the news of the team's sale was unexpected and something he never thought would actually go through considering the high expectations for the team's valuation.

“It started that summer, just as daydreaming,” he said. “That’s really what it was. I didn’t have any sense that I’d ever prevail. But it’s whatever (Michael) Jordan says, you can’t make the shots you don’t take. I felt like, at the beginning, there was like a one percent chance it would actually work out. In ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ it’s when Jim Carrey says, ‘It’s one in a million, so you’re telling me I got a chance.’”

Wyc Grousbeck's Shifting Role

With the sale, Chisholm assumed the role of lead governor over Wyc Grousbeck, who had previously stated that he wished to hold the minimum 15 percent stake necessary to retain that role. Grousbeck is now an alternate governor.

“He’s done a great job, and coming in here, I have a lot to learn,” Chisholm said. “The new owner curse is a real thing, and avoiding some of that sort of thing … having someone who could be my partner and allow me to ease into it, versus jumping in headfirst, I felt like was a really good approach.”

For more news and notes on the Boston Celtics, visit Boston Celtics on SI.