Celtics owner-in-waiting Bill Chisholm made his first appearance at TD Garden on Wednesday night since his group agreed to purchase the franchise last month. Chisholm sat courtside alongside team governor Wyc Grousbeck in the seats often occupied by co-owner Steve Pagliuca very close to the Celtics bench.
Chisholm, a private equity investor, led a group that has agreed to purchase the chase the Celtics for a record $6.1 billion evaluation the team announced last month. Chisholm and his family are based in California and attended Boston’s game in Sacramento last week, announcing then that he planned to attend a couple games this week on Boston’s homestead at TD Garden.
Chisholm spent time last week chatting with team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens and All-Star Jayson Tatum in Sacramento before the team’s win.
“Obviously, seems like a great person and seems super excited about the C’s,” Stevens said of Chisholm last Wednesday. “He has always been a big fan and it was nice to -- I met him a couple weeks ago when all the finalists were coming through and and then talked to him on the phone real briefly before going out to Sacramento. So I haven’t spent a ton of time with him, but everything that I’ve had a chance to do with him, I really enjoyed it. Look forward to working together.”
Chisholm also had a chance to address the team briefly last week on the team’s road trip and spoke about his message in an interview with Abby Chin on NBC Sports Boston last Monday.
“Keep doing what you’re doing,” Chisholm said he told the team. “And if there’s any way that I and we can play any role to be a little helpful, we’d love to do that. I’m just so proud of what they’ve accomplished and hope to build on it.”
Chisholm also reflected on his experience so far since agreeing to become a co-owner.
“Honestly, it’s been emotional for me. I mean this is, as a kid growing up in New England to, dreaming about — I didn’t even know to dream about this — and then to have it happen, it was really emotional. To share with my family and shout out to our kids, it was just really special and emotional. I understand what this is about and what it means to the people of Boston because I’m one of them and I’m gonna do it right.”