Four finalists to buy Celtics revealed in new report

At least four potential suitors remain in the bidding process to buy the Celtics, according to a new report Wednesday.Among the finalists, multiple sources told Sporticos Ebnen Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick, are groups led by current Celtics co-owner and managing partner Steve Pagliuca, Stan Middleman, William Chisholm and The Friedkin Group.Pagliuca, who said shortly after the Celtics sale was announced last summer that he would be a a proud participant in the bidding process, has been viewed by many in the industry as a front-runner to land the team given his insider status, per Wednesdays report.

The former Bain Capital co-chairman was part of the collective that bought the Celtics for $360 million in 2003.

He also co-owns Italian soccer club Atalanta.Two of the other reported bidders also have sports ownership stakes in their respective portfolios.Middleman, the founder and CEO of Freedom Mortgage, bought 16.25% of the MLBs Philadelphia Phillies in 2023 and serves as the teams vice chairman.

The Friedkin Group owns Everton in the Premier League and AS Roma in Serie A.Chisholm is a managing partner and Chief Information Officer at Symphony Technology Group, a private equity firm based in California.

His bid for the Celtics also was reported by Bloomberg.The Celtics retained two banks, BDT & MSD and JPMorgan Chase, to assist in the sale process, which began in earnest in late September.

Bostons current ownership group declined comment on the Sportico report.The deadline for bidders to submit their next offers is this Friday, a source confirmed to the Herald.

Sportico and Forbes valued the Celtics at $5.66 billion and $6 billion, respectively.

Theyre expected to break the current record for most expensive sale of an NBA franchise (the $4 billion Mat Ishbia paid to buy the Phoenix Suns), but the fact they do not own TD Garden could hurt their overall value.The Celtics lease the arena from Delaware North, which owns the Bruins, and thus do not receive revenue from other events held there.In their initial sale announcement, the Celtics said they planned to sell a majority interest in the franchise by early 2025 and the remaining minority shares by 2028, with Wyc Grousbeck remaining in his role as team governor until the final closing..

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