With one of the most iconic franchises in the NBA in the Celtics up for sale, there have been plenty of rumors and speculation about the new potential owner. Bill Simmons recently revealed Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was one of the finalists to buy the Celtics.
But ahead of the Eagles taking part in Super Bowl LIX against the Chiefs, Lurie publicly addressed those rumors. It doesn’t sound like he’s going to be the next Celtics owner based on his comments, bluntly finishing his answer: “I do not expect that to happen.”
“I’m not really interested in acquiring another sports team,” Lurie told reporters at Super Bowl Opening Night, per CBS Sports. “I think it’s connected because they’re my childhood team. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for their whole culture. I sort of see them as kind of a kindred soul in the NBA.”
As Lurie pointed out, the local ties are strong, which Simmons also noted. Lurie, 73, bought the Eagles in 1994. Growing up in the greater Boston area, he went to several Massachusetts colleges including Clark (B.A.), BU (Masters) and Brandeis for a doctorate in social policy. Plus, he’s a huge fan of the team.
It sounds like Lurie won’t be the next Celtics owner this round. He hinted that he could be interested in purchasing the organization one day, saying “never say never,” according to CBS. But for this round, it appears the Eagles owner isn’t part of the bidding process for the Celtics.
After winning the 2024 NBA championship, shortly afterwards, the Grousbeck family announced in July 2024 they would sell control of the franchise. The two-part process includes 51% of the sale taking place during the 2024-25 season. The team has already started accepting bids. Current C’s co-owner Steve Pagliuca is also expected to be a bidder in the sales process.
The team is expected to be sold for about $5-6 billion. There haven’t been names rumored to be part of the sale at this point. Lurie emerged as one such name, though he’s now publicly shot down those rumors.
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