The NBA’s Board of Governors approved the sale of the Celtics to Bill Chisholm, a move that was already in the works.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) and forward Jayson Tatum (0) warm up before the start of game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at TD Garden.
While the sale of the Boston Celtics to businessman Bill Chisholm was already common knowledge, the sale was made official on Wednesday as the NBA’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the deal, as per ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel.

As part of the $6.1 billion deal, former majority owner Wyc Grousbeck will continue to run the Celtics as CEO alongside Bill Chisholm. Chisholm, however, will acquire the title of team governor, a title that was originally going to remain with Grousbeck through 2028. Grousbeck will instead serve as an alternate team governor.

In related news, Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca was believed to have reached a deal to purchase the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and potentially move the franchise to Boston. But no deal has been approved yet, with other potential bidders jumping into the mix to buy the Sun.

For Chisholm, he will be inheriting a team that is presumably going to be taking a step back during the 2025-26 season. Star forward Jayson Tatum is expected to miss a majority of the season, if not all, due to the Achilles injury he suffered during the Celtics’ playoff series against the New York Knicks.

A small fire sale commenced this offseason with the Celtics opting to trade Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks. With the team not likely contenders due to Tatum’s absence, there wasn’t enough justification to having such an extreme payroll amid the CBA’s restrictions and penalties.

Following a 2023-24 championship run, the Celtics came into the 2024-25 season as the presumed favorite to repeat as champions. Or at least to get through the Eastern Conference and back to the NBA Finals. But after losing Tatum, the Celtics were unable to muster enough strength to beat the Knicks.

Although the franchise is taking a step back this upcoming season, the Celtics still have a championship duo in Tatum and Jaylen Brown to build another contending team around.

David Yapkowitz is a basketball journalist for ClutchPoints, writing news on the NBA, WNBA, and NCAA Basketball for both men and women. The Los Angeles native has bylines with Basketball Insiders, SB Nation, and The Next Hoops.