You can safely rule out one wealthy New Englander to buy the Celtics
The question seemed to be a half-joke. But it was asked anyway. Would Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob consider buying the Boston Celtics? That’s quite a tough proposition, because…
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 20: Owner Joe Lacob of the Golden State Warriors waves to fans during the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 20, 2022 in San Francisco, California. The Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 to win the 2022 NBA Finals. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesThe question seemed to be a half-joke. But it was asked anyway.
Would Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob consider buying the Boston Celtics?
That's quite a tough proposition, because Lacob would have to sell his majority stake in the Warriors in order to gain control of the Celtics. But Lacob is a native of New Bedford, Mass. who grew up a C's fan and even invested in the team with the Grousbeck family back in 2006.
Lacob was required to sell his stake in the Celtics in 2010, when he bought the Warriors for $450 million. Thirteen years and four NBA championships later, Forbes listed Golden State as the league's most valuable franchise at $7.7 billion. So, quite an investment.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images<sup>Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)</sup>
But despite his massive success with the Warriors and $2.1 billion net worth, Lacob isn't ready to move on from that just yet. So he's flatly ruling out the possibility of buying the reigning champion Celtics, as he explained to David Aldridge and Marcus Thompson on "The Athletic NBA Show".
"No chance. No chance, sorry," Lacob said, after bursting out laughing mid-question. "That ship has sailed a long time ago. That ship sailed a long, long time ago. I am a Warrior, this is my identity, it’s our identity. I love what we’ve done. I love our fans, our arena, the last decade.
"I just want to do more. I just want to create an even longer and even greater legacy for this organization."
Hey, it was worth bringing up the topic, just to get Lacob's thoughts on the matter. But clearly, just because Lacob grew up in Massachusetts and has direct ties to the Celtics, doesn't mean he's automatically a candidate to buy the team.
Wyc Grousbeck said in a recent interview that the current ownership group expects to sell about half of its current stake in the team in the near future, and the other half later. Grousbeck currently plans to stay on as team governor through 2028, as they are positioned to gun for multiple NBA championships behind superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
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