Wyc Grousbeck has been the face of Boston Celtics ownership for the last 23 years, and the 63-year-old Massachusetts native has always been transparent — with the fans, players, coaches and everyone involved in the organization.
Grousbeck demonstrated his transparency once more throughout the franchise’s process of seeking a new majority owner. He pulled aside key members of the team, including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens, and offered them a message of reassurance before Bill Chisholm, the managing partner at Symphony Technology, became the new majority owner.
“I’ve actually talked to Jaylen and Jayson, and Joe and Brad, and said, ‘Just so you know, the people who are looking, these finalists, this very small group of finalists, are all great. And they can all do the job, and we won’t let it go to anybody that would fall short of that,’” Grousbeck revealed Thursday, as seen on NBC Sports Boston. “So I told them basically just a few days ago when I saw them all at practice, ‘It’s OK. Don’t put it in your mind. Take it off your mind if you can because we’ve got you. This is gonna go fine.’ And that’s what I truly believe.”
Grousbeck helped lead the franchise to two championships (2008 and 2024) and four appearances in the NBA Finals.
Chisholm, a fellow Mass. native and graduate of Dartmouth College, purchased the Celtics for a record-setting $6.1 billion — the most any North American team has sold for. Grousbeck’s departure as the now-former majority owner kept the fanbase on edge for over eight months since the team announced its intentions to sell last July. Boston did everything in its power throughout the offseason, including signing Tatum to a record-large $315 million supermax and retaining Derrick White, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman ahead of the official start to their championship defense.
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“We hoped from the beginning to find the right person with the resources and commitment to win banners, and being a great person,” Grousbeck told ESPN’s Shams Charania. “Bill checks every box for us. I have always been a consultant and have had final say here with the Celtics since the family bought into the team, and that will continue for the next three years and we will transition.”
Boston accomplished its mission in raising Banner 18 last season, and while leftover confetti continues to fall each night throughout the regular season, the Celtics are reminded of the opportunity lying ahead. The NBA hasn’t had a repeat champion since the Golden State Warriors seven years ago, and that’s Boston’s next mission.
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It won’t be easy, and that difficulty expands beyond the court.
The Celtics have a projected $230 million payroll this season, which is on pace to jump toward the $500 million mark once Tatum’s supermax takes effect next season. Few teams and ownership groups across the league have shown a willingness to go the extra mile of maintaining what Stevens built two offseasons ago, but Grousbeck hasn’t fulfilled his duty like the average team owner.
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Members of the team remained open-minded throughout the process, all while clinging to a mild sense of concern and strong feelings of faith that the right candidate would be chosen.
“We’ve got some great people in this organization and on this team and we’ve worked really hard to build something special,” Tatum told reporters Tuesday night, per The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “I trust that they’ll make the right decisions in whoever that next group is.”
Chisholm claims to be a “die-hard” Celtics fan and Grousbeck intends to continue his involvement to some capacity until the 2027-28 season. Boston has already locked its starting lineup of Tatum, Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White to multi-year extensions, keeping its Larry O’Brien Trophy window wide open.
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