Bill Chisholm secured control of the Celtics in a blind auction that, according to reporting from Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, came down to a margin of less than $100 million.
Vorkunov reported that Chisholm’s $6.1 billion valuation narrowly topped the second-place bid, which sources said exceeded $6 billion.
The gap was relatively small for a deal of this scale, but it ultimately determined the outcome.
Chisholm told The Athletic that taking the risk was necessary, explaining that he wanted to avoid any regret if his bid fell short.
He learned a day later that his number was high enough to win the first tranche of the sale, with the remaining shares valued at $7.4 billion.
Another suitor, believed to be Middleman, submitted a bid of more than $6 billion, while Pagliuca offered $5.5 billion.
Chisholm, who grew up in Georgetown, Massachusetts, described the moment as difficult to process, noting the personal significance of taking control of the franchise he followed as a child.
The acquisition was also supported by a significant investment from Aditya Mittal, who contributed $1 billion in May 2025 to help fund the purchase.
League ownership rules require a control person to raise cash rather than debt, maintain at least a 15 percent financial interest, and hold a larger stake than any private equity group involved.
Chisholm must provide more than $1 billion of his own capital, including approximately $500 million at closing and the remainder within three years.
It remains unclear how much personal liquidity he possesses, though a Forbes estimate placed his net worth above $1 billion.
Despite that figure, he does not appear on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index or the Forbes Billionaires list.
The Celtics sit at 10–8 during the 2025–26 season, led offensively by Jaylen Brown’s 28.2 points per game in 18 starts.
Payton Pritchard contributes 16.6 points and 4.9 assists, and Derrick White adds 16.0 points with strong defensive metrics.
Anfernee Simons supplies scoring off the bench, while Neemias Queta anchors the frontcourt with 7.9 rebounds per game.
