Celtics owner plans to stay until 2028 but admits ‘lots of interest’ in selling

It had been 16 years since the Celtics had visited the White House after earning an NBA title, until this past Thursday afternoon. After the ceremony, owner Wyc Grousbeck told the press that we only plans to continue at the club for the next three years, but hopes to win another title before selling the franchise. 

The executive revealed that they’ve been under negotiations to sell his family’s controlling stake. “It’s underway. There’s a lot of interest,” he said. “That is one comment, I guess. I would like to limit it to that, but I would say that the plan is that I will stay [in charge] 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, with us right now, that 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.”

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

Grousbeck, who has been in charge of the Boston club since 2002, was making his second trip to the White House as an NBA champion. Just as they’d conquered the title in June, the team’s ownership group surprisingly announced that they were selling the highest stake after two decades at the helm.

Nevertheless, Wyc made it clear that he hopes to return to the White House many more times before selling, as he admitted that this Thursday was a very special day for him. Yesterday’s celebrations included many fans from Massachusetts, including Gov. Maura Healey and Senator Ed Markey.

“This was a very exciting and moving day,” the owner shared. “We had not been focused on [coming here]. We got through raising the banner, and opening night, and then it was all business, led by [Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla].

“Joe doesn’t really want us to dwell too much on the past. He wants us to move forward. But, having said that, everybody here — including Joe — really seemed to have a great time.”

For most of the Celtics’ locker room, it had been their first time ever at the White House, and admitted to being more excited that they initially thought

Outside of Jrue Holiday, no other player in the Boston roster had ever won an NBA title, as they all expressed their excitement for being part of the ceremony. For example, Derrick White didn’t think he would be so emotional about the tradition, until he saw himself the famous building.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” the Olympic-gold winner said. “I was kind of looking forward to it, and then I think, walking in, I was like, ‘I’m a little bit more excited than I thought I was going to be.’

“I think it was just a lot of excitement just to be in the White House, and just all the decisions and stuff that goes on in there. We were able to go into the Oval Office, which was pretty cool. So being where all the big decisions are was the coolest part.”

For this year, Boston is again favored to repeat as NBA champions, as there currently hold a 12-3 record and rank second in the Eastern Conference standings. At the start of the week, they delivered Cleveland their first defeat of the season, ending their 15-straight unbeaten run.