While Dave Portnoy’s interest in purchasing the Boston Celtics appears genuine, he joked that he needs more money to own the franchise.
On Monday, the reigning NBA champions announced that owners Boston Basketball Partners LLC plan to sell their share of the franchise.
Following the announcement, just over two weeks after winning their 18th franchise title, several fans noted that the Barstool Sports president should make an ownership bid given his love for the team.
“If someone has tens of billions, I’ll buy the Celtics,” Portnoy wrote on X.
In response, one user urged Portnoy to use his sports betting skills to make up the difference.
Dave Portnoy joked about buying the Celtics after the team went up for sale on Monday
“Just win a few more bets on DK (Draft Kings),” the user replied.
“Make a few more bets,” added another.
Portnoy memorably won $1.6 million from a $100,000 bet after matching the Celtics’ title win with Scottie Scheffler’s RBC Heritage victory.
The avid Celtics fan also left Tom Brady’s induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame to attend Game 3 of the Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks at a local bar.
“I’m like, I gotta watch this f****** game,” Portnoy said after explaining that he didn’t watch the game on his phone. “This is Banner 18. Yeah, Tom Brady, I love you, but what does Tom Brady always say? What’s his favorite banner? His favorite banner is next, and that’s me.”
Fans joked that Portnoy should make the money through his six-figure sports betting
The Celtics are sold after winning their 18th franchise title against the Mavericks
Under their current ownership, Boston has appeared in the NBA Finals four times and won two titles
‘I’m moving forward, I’m not going backward, this is the NBA f****** Finals. This is not Game 2 of the regular season. If we win this game, it’s f****** donezo. If we lose, no Porzingis, series is back on. So yeah, I gotta go watch this f****** game.
After taking a commanding 3-0 lead, the Celtics suffered a lopsided 38-point loss in Dallas, but returned to Boston for Game 5 and closed out the series for their fans.
After purchasing the team from Paul Gaston in 2002 for $360 million, the owners, led by CEO Wyc Grousbeck, are now selling the team at a time when things are going well.
According to Forbes, the Celtics were the fourth most valuable NBA franchise in 2023, with a valuation of $4.7 billion.
During Boston Basketball Partners’ 22 years of ownership, the team has appeared in the NBA Finals four times and won two titles (2008 and 2024).