There is a chance the Celtics and Red Sox may soon have the same owner.
Boston Red Sox Owner Fenway Sports Group and RedBird Capital that partner closely with LeBron James are seriously considering bidding for the Celtics, sources close to the situation said.
James, who still stars for the Lakers, could not be a part of Celtics ownership now, sources said
But with the sale being a two-step process — where 49 percent of the team isn’t sold until 2028 — he could easily still end up being an owner of the Lakers’ hated rivals as the 39-year-old should be retired by that time.
The Celtics have just hired JPMorgan and BDT & MSD Partners to begin the sales process, as reported Thursday by Sportico.
Even though the team basically makes no money, the defending NBA champions are seeking a record $6 billion price, sources said.
Besides owning the Red Sox, Fenway also owns the NESN sports cable network.
Airing Celtics games on NESN would give the network a strong year-round offering though the Celts are now in the middle of a media deal with NBC Boston that doesn’t reportedly expire until 2038.
Fenway, RedBird Capital and LeBron are currently working on bringing an NBA franchise to Las Vegas which would include a new arena.
James, officially a billionaire since 2022, has made little secret that he would like to follow Michael Jordan’s path of owning a franchise (Jordan sold his controlling stake in the Charlotte Hornets in 2023) and in October teased about building one in Vegas.
If the consortium pivots to the Celtics in the coming weeks they would likely move on from the Las Vegas idea.
Fenway already owns the Red Sox, the Liverpool soccer team and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
