After the defending-champion Boston Celtics visited the White House on Thursday, owner Wyc Grousbeck addressed the eventual sale of the team. On a conference call, Grousbeck declined to offer details about the process, but told reporters that there is no shortage of interest from prospective buyers.
“No, I don’t have any comments on the sale process,” Grousbeck said, via CLNS Media. “It’s underway, there’s a lot of interest. That is one comment, I guess, but I would like to limit it to that. But I would say that the plan is that I will stay for three more years. That’s what’s laid out. We’ll go from there.
“Having said that, I think I’d just rather talk about this team that we have in front of us or with us right now. [It] has the capacity to contend again. I think we’re contenders this year and we can be contenders in the future, and that’s what I’m most excited about.”
On July 1, just 12 days after the Celtics won the 2024 NBA championship, the team’s ownership group announced its plans to sell a majority interest in the team “in 2024 or early 2025, with the balance closing in 2028.” It also announced that it expected Grousbeck to remain the team’s governor “until the second closing in 2028.”
Grousbeck described the White House visit as “very moving” and “very exciting.” During the ceremony, star forward Jayson Tatum presented President Joe Biden with a Celtics jersey.
“We had not been focused on this,” Grousbeck told reporters. “We got through the banner and opening night, and then it was all business, led by Joe [Mazzulla, Boston’s coach]. Joe really doesn’t want us to dwell too much on the past. He wants us to move forward. Having said that, everybody here, including Joe, really seemed to have a great time, and we really got some time to personally connect with the president.
“Emilia [Fazzalari, Grousbeck’s wife] and I spoke with him directly. Joe was right there, [co-owner] Steve Pagliuca and others. But really got to know him and spent time. So it was just a meaningful day. We all thought his remarks about the Celtics really were amazing, and we took them to heart and appreciate them. The whole thing, it was a very special day.”
Today, President Biden welcomed the Boston Celtics to the White House to celebrate their 2024 NBA Championship.
Congratulations, @celtics! pic.twitter.com/EyXBc8pj9Q
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 22, 2024
This season, the Celtics are 12-3, and on Tuesday they dealt the Cleveland Cavaliers their first loss of the season. Boston will visit the Washington Wizards in another NBA Cup matchup on Friday.
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