New Celtics Owners PULLED in different directions | Is there a CLEAR VISION for the future?

Summary

Locked On Celtics: "New Celtics Owners PULLED in Different Directions | Is there a CLEAR VISION for the future?"

Host: John Karalis
Guest: Tom Westerholm
Date: September 3, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, John Karalis and Tom Westerholm discuss mounting concerns surrounding the Boston Celtics’ new multi-part owner group. The central theme is doubt and uncertainty over whether the new owners have a unified, clear vision for the franchise’s future amid complex ownership structure, looming financial commitments, and significant potential changes. The hosts balance this with an opening tribute to longtime Celtics PR legend Jeff Twiss, recently inducted into the Hall of Fame.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tribute to Jeff Twiss, Celtics PR Legend

[03:34 – 10:09]

• Jeff Twiss’ Hall of Fame Induction:
  The hosts celebrate Twiss’ decades-long Celtics tenure (since 1981) highlighted by five championships.
• Stories & Memories:
  • John reminisces about Twiss’s role as the Celtics’ voice on the practice hotline and his behind-the-scenes support in media relations.
  • Favorite ‘Twiss Moments’:
    • Kevin Garnett’s 3-pointer — "Twiss, can I shoot threes?" "Yes, you can." ([04:13])
    • Brad Stevens’ hot mic F-bomb: Twiss’s “oh boy” reaction on the sideline ([04:42])
  • Twiss described as kind, discreet, and pivotal to both PR and journalism.
• Quotes:
  • John Karalis: “Just the nicest guy…someone who’s been around so much basketball greatness. What a career.” ([05:05])
  • Tom Westerholm: “Even when [journalist/PR relations] is most adversarial, Twist is just such a kind individual.” ([06:12])

---

2. Concerns Over the Celtics’ New Ownership Group

[10:09 – 35:13]

A. Lack of Transparency, No Clear Leadership Structure

[13:10 – 17:28]

• Limited Public Communication:
  • Ownership’s only spoken briefly to media, no press conference since the partial sale.
  • Major stakeholders (Bill Chisholm, Wick Grosbeck, others) have not explained decision-making structure.
• Unanswered Questions:
  • How will decisions actually be made?
  • Does each owner get an equal say, or is it based on investment percentage?
• Financial Arrangements:
  • Half the team bought (at $6.1 billion valuation), the rest due in three years, likely at an even higher price.
• Quote:
  • John Karalis: “I don’t know how this is going to work…what if the other seven [board members] don’t [agree]?” ([15:04])
• Concern for Basketball Operations:
  • Will Brad Stevens have autonomy to build the roster, or could a fragmented board quash moves?
  • Tom Westerholm: “Is this a House of Representatives situation? Your say is based on your investment size. What is this?” ([16:15])

B. The Threat of Overextension: Too Many Ambitions

[18:00 – 28:34]

• Unfinished Ownership/Investment Rounds:
  • Additional billions required in 3 years; possibility the board grows larger to cover costs.
• Simultaneous Massive Projects:
  • Potential for new Celtics arena (lease expires 2036 but exploration underway).
  • WNBA expansion/relocation complications: Bill Chisholm rumored as big player, costs in the hundreds of millions.
  • Rival bids (Krafts, Jacobs family) and political hurdles.
• Quote:
  • John Karalis: “It’s like everybody’s trying to spend Bill Chisholm’s money, which I’m not even sure he has...” ([25:52])
• Core Dilemma:
  • If capital requirements explode, will the group’s focus shift away from competitive team-building to cost-cutting or asset-flipping?
• Tom Westerholm:
  • “What’s the quality of the team you’re going to be putting in this brand new shiny stadium? You can’t be saving too much…” ([28:34])
  • “Very rich people in America these days… known for buying something and tearing it down to the studs.” ([19:26])

C. Looming Impact on the Team’s Culture & Decision-Making

[29:21 – 35:13]

• Contrast to Previous Ownership:
  • Past owners balanced “smart, meaningful improvement” with financial realism.
  • It’s unknown if new corporate/VC-backed owners will maintain that ethos.
• Market Realities:
  • Sports franchise prices are soaring (Blazers sold for $4B, Lakers at $10B valuation). Future sales likely to come with more, larger ownership groups.
• Quote:
  • John Karalis: “It’s so much more than him [Chisholm]… I can’t see nine rich people agreeing on the same thing.” ([34:11])
• Nationalization Joke:
  • Tom proposes “nationalizing all sports teams” as the only way to avoid fractured, investment-driven ownership. ([32:30])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Uncertainty of Oversized Ownership Groups:
  • John Karalis: “If you and Wick say one thing, are all nine people going to say the same thing, or do seven people’s votes outvote you? That’s going to be the question that changes the entire course of the Celtics…” ([34:15])
• On Future of Sports Ownership in This Era:
  • Tom Westerholm: “All these owners are going to see [these prices] as an opportunity to get out…If they’re going for this much, how are you supposed to hang on to it?” ([33:30])
• On the Cultural Impact of Ownership:
  • Tom Westerholm: “We don’t know if that [supportive, visionary] attitude is going to continue at a time that is extremely pivotal [for the NBA].” ([20:16])

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:34 – 10:09] — Jeff Twiss Hall of Fame & Celtics PR memories
• [13:10 – 17:28] — Breaking down ownership group structure, unanswered questions
• [18:00 – 22:57] — Financial commitments, board expansion scenarios, looming big decisions (Tatum’s future, payroll)
• [25:38 – 28:34] — Arena project complications, WNBA team expansion, competition with other owners (Kraft/Jacobs)
• [29:21 – 35:13] — The existential questions: will collective ownership mean cost-cutting, who controls the franchise’s direction, and will fans’ values be protected?

---

Conclusion

Tone & Takeaways:

• The episode is part bemused, part sobering—balancing Boston sports warmth (the Twiss tribute) with a growing, almost skeptical anxiety about the team’s direction and the broader trend in sports ownership.
• Both John and Tom remain frustrated at the lack of direct answers or transparency, repeatedly calling for a press conference or more communication.
• They see the Celtics’ next few years as pivotal: will a divided, investment-driven ownership group risk the team’s competitive edge and community values?

If you haven’t listened:
This episode offers a unique blend of Celtics nostalgia and hard-headed realism about the money and politics now behind Boston’s favorite team—raising the kind of “who’s really in charge?” questions every engaged fan wants answered, but so far, none of the new owners have stepped up to address.

---

Note: All commercial breaks, extended advertisements, and network plugs have been skipped for clarity and focus on on-court and franchise-relevant content.

Transcript

[John Corrales]

Foreign podcast network your team every day. This is Jake from Lock Dawn. When the game's on the line, the best know when to pass, because the right assist can change everything. And off the court, it's no different. That's where your State Farm agent comes in. Whether it's protecting your car, your home, or helping you prep for the unexpected, they'll help set you up with a game plan that works for you. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability and eligibility vary by state.

[Commercial Announcer]

Introducing Family Freedom from T Mobile. We'll pay off four phones up to 3, $200 and give you four free phones, all on America's largest 5G network. Visit t mobile.com familyfreedom up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phone via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement example Apple iPhone 16128 gigs 829.99 eligible trade in example iPhone well qualified credits end and balance due if you pay off early or cancel contact us.

[John Corrales]

I still have questions about this new ownership group. Are they already getting overextended? We'll talk about that. Plus Shout out to a Celtics legend heading into the hall of Fame right now on the Locked On Celtics podcast. Huh?

[Tom Westerholm]

Yep.

[John Corrales]

Be down, be ever ready. It's the seas. Who else could it be? What they going to say now screaming like J.T. corralis recap the madness every game, every practice, prime time, Depp and D White on the sideline. Ren and J. How was started Raising ban. That's how we finish. Locked on Celtics pod. Home of the winners, baby.

[Commercial Announcer]

Hey there.

[John Corrales]

Welcome back to the Lockdown Celtics podcast right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. Word is your team Every day. Your team is the Boston Celtics. Every Day returns next week. So two more podcasts, today's podcast, Friday's podcast, and then next week, back to the daily grind. So subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Watch the show on YouTube, get into the comments section, share your thoughts with the everydayers, the people who are with me every time I drop a podcast. And with me. I'm John Corralis, beat writer covering the Celtics for Boston Sports Journal. I've also written a couple of books about the Celtics. Later on in today's show, we'll get into I still have questions about this ownership group. I'll tell you why I'm concerned about being overextended and that that has to do with some of the stuff I've already talked about on Monday's podcast But first. Well, first, two legends. Two legends on the show. Number one is Tom Wesserholm. There's legend number one, Thomas.

[Tom Westerholm]

I was. I've been waiting. I've been waiting to be introduced correctly.

[John Corrales]

So, everybody, we have sound effects now.

[Tom Westerholm]

I hear that.

[John Corrales]

Yes. Well, okay, the other legend, you have.

[Tom Westerholm]

The opportunity to make the single most insufferable podcast of all time. And I think before. I mean, it's. Summer's almost over.

[John Corrales]

It's September 2nd, you know, like, if.

[Tom Westerholm]

We'Re gonna do here before we. Yeah. Anyway, I got.

[John Corrales]

I got people reaching for their phones in their cars, getting ready, like, to break a lot of traffic laws. It's just sitting there saying, corrales, you touch one more of those sound effects, and we're like, don't go full morning zoo. Don't do it. Yeah, all right. Leave it alone.

[Tom Westerholm]

I'm just saying, you're gonna get somebody to storrow themselves by.

[John Corrales]

Don't. I don't. Sorry. I'm sorry. This is very. Like, always Sunny, when D D and Dennis do their. Their podcast, they're like, she's clicking all the things and they finally hit the laser and he's like, what was that one? Oh, laser. Oh, I like that one. Let's keep that one in the rotation. So. All right, the second legend that we're talking about. Would you get it? Let's just get this going. Jeff twists. Jeff Twiss, who's been with the Celtics since 1981, who has been there for. What's that now? Three. Five. Five championships. Is that right?

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

81.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. Yeah.

[John Corrales]

No, yeah, yeah. Three. One in the 80s.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Five championships. He is just the nicest guy. He listens to the podcast every once in a while, too. He always drops a note every once in a while when I'm in the. Waiting around for Joe Missoula. So, Jeff, if you're listening, congratulations. I've already said this to him personally, but he's heading into the hall of Fame in. Well deserved. It's just so. I don't know. I don't know what else to say other than, you know, there are some. There's a couple of podcasts out there now. I think that he's been on. A couple of pieces have been written about him. The man. My favorite Jeff Twist moment is with Kevin Garnett. Kevin Garnett took a three. I forget exactly what the circumstances were. And he was asked about it after. After the game in the locker room, and he went onto this whole big thing. But I can shoot threes. Twist. Can I shoot threes? Yes, sir, you can shoot the. I can shoot threes if you look that up on the Internet. Jeff Twist in the back. Yep. Yes, you can. Which is easily my. My favorite, like, public twist. There are many public twist months. Another one is, though, when I think Brad's was. It had to be Brad Stevens when he was caught on the hot mic screaming about Jason Tatum. I think got a tech and he dropped the def bomb on the hot mic, and you just see Twist just with the eyes go just wide open on the sidelines, just like, oh, boy, did that. Did. I hope. I hope nobody heard that one, because that was loud.

[Tom Westerholm]

So that's a. That's a great Jeff Twist face that. He often makes that, like, you know, you know, in the. In the locker room after, and he's kind of standing next to him, and then they say something that, yeah, Twist is like, oh, I'm gonna have to do some damage control mental note on that one. That's a, A classic twist. I also really enjoy. I don't have a good example of this off the top of my head, but I really enjoy, like, I, I. When you used to. I used to go up to Twist and, you know, ask him a question, and it would be something that I know that Jeff Twist knew the answer to, but Jeff Twist had to pretend that he didn't know the answer to and be like, let me see if I can. Let me see if I can find something out. And then, you know, he's in pr. Like, yeah, yeah, but. But Twists nicest. I mean, just the nicest guy. I mean, you like, like, it's. The relationship between PR and journalism is always kind of funny because it's friendly but adversarial at the same time. Yeah, at times. And, you know, I mean, it's just nature of the business, right? But, like, twists, it's like, even when it's at its most adversarial, it's just like, I mean, Twist is just such a kind individual, just such a likable individual and somebody who's been, you know, around so much basketball greatness. I mean, what a. What just. I mean, what a career, you know, What a. What a. What a place to be for your career. Twist is a legend, and very happy for him that he gets this because it's very cool.

[John Corrales]

One of the coolest things, when I was in college at Emerson, we would do. We had WERS, which is tattooed on my. My forearm, the 88.9. I don't know if you can see. See it but pivotal for me because where. That's where I learned, like, all of the skills to. To get my podcast and kind of produce a whole thing by myself. We would produce sportscasts on WERS in the afternoons. And he. The. The Celtics used to have a phone line where you would call in. I would call on a certain phone that you could record. And he's. His voice like, we've reached the Celtics hotline. And, you know, even when we were working together, he would. We would still call the Celtics hotline. Oh, yeah, there is practice today. Yeah. But he used to do the Celtics hotline and, you know, announce, like, the same things. And then they would play. At that point, it'd be like, I don't know, Dino Raja sound, you know, like Tony Delk sound. And you, like, I would write up.

[Tom Westerholm]

My thing greatness, like I was just saying.

[John Corrales]

Absolutely right. I would chop it up and I would go into it, like it. You know, it was. I had a shift at WERS in the afternoons, like, and now let's go to sports with John Corrales. And I would do my. Very poorly written, because I'm a college student, you know, and the Celtics practice today, blah, blah, blah. And here's Tony Delkin, a clip from there, and it was all coordinated by Jeff Twist. So, yeah, Jeff. Jeff actually very instrumental in helping me kind of, you know, kick things off and learn things. Like, if he. If he and the Celtics didn't do that stuff, I don't know how I would have done that. So it's, you know, just a little. Just a little shout out. My little shout out to Jeff Twist. So, yeah, go read the stories. There's a good story in the Globe about Jeff. And, you know, he. He likes to lay low. He's. He keeps a low profile, but which, you know, you're in pr, you're supposed to keep a low profile for the most part. Yeah.

[Tom Westerholm]

There's, you know, in journalism, one of the first things you learn is, like, you're not supposed to be the story. And if there's anybody who's less supposed to be the story than the journalist, it's the PR guy. PR guy is there to make sure that the correct story is told about the correct people.

[John Corrales]

Yes. And so congratulations to Jeff. To us heading into the hall of Fame. Very deservedly so. Jeff will be working for. I don't know, what's this ownership group number? Four? Five, maybe. Also five.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Well, this new ownership group is. We don't know. We don't know how they're going to be. But this week I More questions, more questions. I might be the biggest skeptic when it comes to this ownership group, maybe because they haven't spoken. But my questions. Let's get into why. I have even more questions about this group when we come back. Today's show is brought to you by fanduel. We know football season is here. We've watched there's college football. Everybody watched bill Belichick and UNC get smoked. If you threw some money on TCU, then you would have done all rights over at FanDuel. And if you if that was your first five dollar bet, you would have gotten 300 in bonus bets. If that's you if that was your first ever bet on FanDuel, new customers get 300 in bonus bets if that first five dollar bet wins. So whatever you want to do during football season, however you want to bet, you want to bet on player props, how many sacks, how many touchdown pads, Drake May touchdown passes. Let's go for it. You want to build the same game parlay and maybe put those touchdown passes with some touchdowns or something else, running touchdowns. You can do whatever you want. Just get on FanDuel if you want and have some fun with it. You can make every game more exciting. When you log on. They're going to have ways to protect yourself. Set your limits, set your budget, use only your disposable income. What you can afford to lose when if you have a bad run and you hit that, FanDuel will cut you off. And that's great because then you come back in a week or two and you start back up again. So download that FanDuel app. Visit FanDuel.com to do so and get started. That's FanDuel.com to place your first five dollar bet.

[Commercial Announcer]

Introducing family freedom from T Mobile. We'll pay off four phones up to $3200 and give you four free phones all on America's largest 5G network. Visit t mobile.com familyfreedom up to 800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phone via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement. Example Apple iPhone 16128 gigs 829.99 Eligible trade in example iPhone 11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due. If you pay off earlier, cancel contact us.

[John Corrales]

Thank you for making lockdown Celtics your first listen every day. Go check out lockdown NBA and locked on NBA game night when the season starts game night, which is seven days a week, we'll cover all the games in The Association. But for now, for the rest of the season, game night and locked on NBA in the afternoons, we're covering all the big stories in the league. We're covering Euro Basket. So lots of discussion there. Go check it out wherever you got this podcast. All right, let's get back to the conversation here about concerns over the new ownership group. So this stems from this summer.

[Tom Westerholm]

You're going to express some concerns about this new ownership group.

[John Corrales]

Yes, yes, I know this is a, it's very on brand thing for me. I. But listen, okay, so number one, we haven't heard from these guys.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

Okay. Bill Chisholm we've heard from, we've heard from them in an interview with the Boston Globe. We heard a little bit about them in a brief interview with NBC Sports Boston. And that's it. There's been no press conference since the, the deal is closed. There's been no announced plans for one. We have not been able to ask Bill Chisholm, who is the primary governor of this team, anything about this ownership group. What we know is half the sale has been completed at a valuation of 6. $6 billion. 6.1. The rest of the deal, 49%, will close in three years. So that money hasn't been spent yet. So basically half now, half in a few years. And they're gonna have to spend another $4 billion or more because that valuation is going to be at $7 billion. I know that. We know that the, the board, the managing board will have Bill Chisholm and eight other people, including Wick Rosebeck, including also an investment firm. So I have said many times on this podcast, I don't know how this is going to work. Bill Wick can come out and say we have this vision for the team, but I don't know. And a question that I will ask when I get a chance to is you and Wick can have this vision for the team. But what if the other seven people don't? So what happens then? Does everybody have an equal vote? Are the votes based on how many shares of the team you have to own? At least 15 to be the primary governor, the, the lead governor, or however it's called. We know that Wick Grossbeck fell under 15. So let's just assume that they, they, they must have at least 29 together, whatever it is. That leaves 70%, 71% somewhere else. So when it comes to hiring or firing, giving an extension or not giving an extension, I need to know, does the word of Bill Chisholm and Wick Grossbeck, who Seem to be, you know, marching in lockstep. Does that mean when Brad Stevens says, hey, I want to sign this guy, I want to give this guy an extension, I want to hire this person or fire this person, does the word of these two trump the words of the others? Or can they say, yes, sign them? And, and the others could be like, nah, we're not spending that money. And, and Brad Stevens is, is kind of stuck. So let me just throw that out there again. That I think remains a valid concern that needs to be addressed at some point by this group.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, absolutely. I think that I. Listen, I mean, I'm, you know, I'm joking about you, you know, kind of like commenting often on this stuff. But it's weird. I mean, you know, we've said it a bunch of times this summer. It's, it's a, it is a weird setup. It's a weird situation. As an aside, can you imagine I've, you know, I've got a fairly expensive car repair hanging over my head right now. Can you imagine that I'm like kind of kicking down the line by like a week or two. Can you imagine having a 4 billion dollar bill coming due? You know, like, that's, that's a crazy figure. You know, especially given that this group, you know, to your point, right. Has had seemed to have some question marks around it in terms of coming up with things. Right. So, so I mean, that's, it's interesting to look at it from that perspective. I mean, it's interesting to look at it from the perspective of. Is this like you asked, is this like, you know, is this a House of Representatives situation, right, where it's like, like, like everybody's, you know, your, your amount of say is based on the size of your, you know, of, of your investment. Like what, what is this?

[John Corrales]

I, and, and let me, let me just add to that. Yeah, this is, this is the group, this is the managing partners. Halfway through the process, do these nine folks kick in double the money or does Bill Chisholm go, okay, there's, here's my group, here's, here's my group of nine, myself included. I still need to raise another three plus billion dollars. Do you add nine more people?

[Tom Westerholm]

Right.

[John Corrales]

You know what I mean?

[Tom Westerholm]

Right.

[John Corrales]

In three years, does the man. Does this managing board double in size? Does it add two people, 10 people? I need to know that answer because in three years some major decisions are going to have to be made, including potentially, you're trading Jason Tatum, potentially in a rebuild. Or, or do you trade Jason Tatum, in a Rebuild, like, in three years, that could be the question. What, nine, 10, 15 people are going to be in? What voting process is that going to be? And whose call is it? Because, again, Bill Chisholm Grossbeck are going to come out with all green foam fingers on and be the rah rah guys, which is great. We love Whit Grossbeck for that. But is that just a smokescreen? And I got a dozen more people behind you that are gonna be like, yeah, but no, we see. We see what's going on. They could be like, jason Tatum's retiring a Celtic, but we're all like, trade them. Rebuild. You know, let's get our payroll low and let's. Let's move forward. Like, that's an important thing. That's coming up in a few years, right around the time this next 3 billion, 4 billion, whatever it is, is due to that is a major, major question mark that's out there.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. Very rich people in America these days. A lot of them are known for, you know, tearing, like, buying something and then tearing it down to the studs. A lot of. That's.

[John Corrales]

That's a lot of capital money, which is what Bill chisholm is. And 6th street is. And.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah, yeah, like, that's. And like. And here's the thing, right? Maybe all this stuff is already worked out. You know, I mean, it could already be worked out, but we don't know.

[John Corrales]

I don't know.

[Tom Westerholm]

You guys haven't heard from him. Like, who knows? Maybe, you know, like, it's. I mean, and it's. It's very complicated, too, because as this ownership group takes over, we're also entering what looks to be like, a new era of the league as a whole. Right?

[John Corrales]

Right.

[Tom Westerholm]

This is a really critical time. And. And for Celtics fans, right, this hasn't really been a concern. Like, Whit Grossbeck didn't always have, like, the deepest, deepest pockets. Like, he wasn't, you know, to draw in, like, a soccer analogy. It wasn't like, you know, man city of, like, five years ago, where it's just like, give me all the best players. I don't care. I don't care. I have a completely blank check. I don't care. It wasn't like that. But it was like, hey, it. To improve this team in a smart, meaningful, good way, let's do whatever we have to do. And it's like, we don't know if that's the case anymore. We have absolutely no idea if that is going to continue to be the case at a time that is extremely pivotal because again, like, this is going to be a stretch of NBA basketball where teams are constantly shifting, are constantly transforming themselves, are like, you know, going through, like we've been talking about, they're going through these, these, these, you know, shorter dips and these shorter waves and these shorter dips. And over the course of that, what does your ownership group look like? Who's, who's willing to spend money? How much money are you willing to spend? To what extent is this going to be limited by venture capitalists? It's, these are all really important questions for this franchise.

[John Corrales]

Right. How many of these people on this board understand. Yeah, yes. And how many of them are just like, yeah, I kicked in $400 million, man. This is like, I gotta vote and I vote no. And they don't even care. I, I, and maybe nobody's like that.

[Tom Westerholm]

But you don't know until you get to ask them.

[John Corrales]

Don't know. We know Wick. We know Chisholm is a fan. We know that the other people who have been Celtics fans are, are on board. But this is a vast number of people. And so I don't know. And if, if you have a lot of people who are like, oh, yes, this is a sound financial investment for me. I want to be in this business because look at all the TV money coming in and blah blah, blah. Those are people who are just bottom line X's and O's, dollars and cents, you know, decimal points. And if there are more of them than the Rah rah Celtics fans, they're not going to understand what you just said. They're not going to, they're going to be like, I do not care. Yeah, I do not care. How much we paying these people. Oh, Brad Stevens wants another raise. Can't we get another person who's about as good that we can pay less? Yeah, you know what I mean? Like that, like, I don't want that, I don't want that around. And it's going to get worse when you factor in this potential for a new building and this whole WNBA mess, which we are going to get back to in just a second.

[Commercial Announcer]

Introducing family freedom from T Mobile. We'll pay off four phones up to 3, 200 and give you four free phones, all on America's largest 5G network. Visit t mobile.com familyfreedom up to 800 per line via virtual prepaid card. Typically takes 15 days. Free phone via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement. Example Apple iPhone 16, 128 gigs 829.99 Eligible trade in example iPhone 11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due if you pay off early or cancel contact us.

[John Corrales]

Whirlpool presents icks he got new shoes with toes. Ew. He owned a race car that was also a bed. He smelled really familiar.

[Tom Westerholm]

Like my dad.

[John Corrales]

After he washed his clothes, he left them in the washer too long. Laundry can be a major ick but your front load washer doesn't have to be the Whirlpool front load washer with a fresh flow vent system. It's a trio of features that help keep your clothes and washer fresh even if those clothes are tie dye Whirlpool Everyday Care hey thanks for making Lockdown Celtics your first listen. Every day football season is here. So Lockdown Patriots. I encourage you to go to Lockdown Patriots or the Lockdown whatever your favorite football team is. If you're not a Patriots fan. We got something for everybody. Also Lockdown Red Sox. Red Sox are doing okay smashing 306 foot home runs. So go check them out. I locked on Red Sox and LA Lockdown Bruins too if you're a hockey fan. So we get a lockdown for everybody. So the, the real reason why I'm I'm bringing this up again this week. It is part of my, my mailbag On Monday, the Celtics, you know the Globe who is like this with the, the Boston Celtics. They started like hey, you know, you never know if the Celtics are going to start looking. They're going to start looking for a potential new site which as as somebody I wrote about this on Boston Sports Journal. As somebody you know very expertly noted, the Celtics lease expires in the end of 2036. So if you're going to look for something like hey, you got 11 years. It's going to take a long time to get this done. Let's just, let's just look. So kick the tires on it. Whether it happens or not, it's probably not going to happen. But like look, another thing this, this morning on, on Tuesday morning there was a piece on the the crafts trying to build a stadium right in Everett right next to or on the same parcel whatever it is that the Celtics might build if they wanted to go over by encore and the crafts have had problems trying to to build something and then that's going back and forth and there's a whole political thing. One of the craft kids is running for mayor and it is a whole big sordid mess. But this is the, this is exactly what it is.

[Tom Westerholm]

As an aside Wild timing by the craftsman. Because you can't, you can't get this up in time for when it would actually kind of matter to have a new soccer stadium, which would literally be next year during the World Cup. So. Right, yeah. Great timing.

[John Corrales]

Yeah, sure. You know what, though? I will say they probably are like, no, we wanted it by then. We just can't get it done. We can't get it done because all the red tape and all of the. You got to donate to this and you gotta, oh, we want to get over here. And you got like, this is part of the thing. I mentioned this on Monday. It's a billion dollar undertaking to help clear that land, build something, all of that stuff. But then you also have to be like, yeah, we're committing to this many million dollars for new parks in Everett and knew this in Charlestown and knew this and you know, across the water and all of that you got to do and you got to commit all these thousands and thousands of dollars to this politician's, you know, district to get their votes and blah, blah, blah, all of that stuff. And then on top of that, Tom, you throw on the WNBA mess. Repags wants to buy the team. Very simple. $325 million by the team. I pay a relocation fee. I move it to Boston. I build them $100 million practice facility. Congratulations, Boston has a team. And the WNBA is like, no, we want the son to move to Houston. We want Bill Chisholm to be involved with an expansion team. So $300 million, whatever the team is, whatever a team costs in two, three years, plus expansion fee was $250 million this past season. Plus whatever you want to pay for a practice facility, you're going to share it with the Celtics? I don't think so. So they want. Now all of a sudden it's. It's $7 billion to buy the Celtics. It's a billion dollars to buy, to buy, put up a new arena. Never mind the fight from the crafts, never mind the fight from the Jacobs family, and then another $500 million for a WNBA team. It's like everybody's trying to spend Bill Chisholm's money, which I'm not even sure he has. And like, we're sitting here like, how does this impact the team? If all of this stuff is kind of hanging out there and this managing board is like, well, we might end up buying a WNBA team. We might end up, you know, having to build our own arena. We're moving towards that. Is. Is all of the voting power going to Be like, save, save, save, save, save.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

How does that impact this? Like, I have, this is why I have all of these questions. There are so many people involved, and all of a sudden this week it's like, wow, Bill Chisholm went from I don't know who the hell this guy is to. He's reshaping the entire Boston sports and entertainment landscape with two sports franchises in a new venue that is going to be the shiny new star in the city. I don't, I can't wrap my head around that.

[Tom Westerholm]

Well, just to back up slightly, if everybody's like, save, save, save, save, save. Like, what's the quality of the team that you're going to be putting in this brand new shiny stadium? Like, you can't, you can't be saving too much because you don't want to have just like an awful team going into a brand new stadium like you. That, that's, that's not a great look. Like, you know, and, and, you know, we've seen a team go into a brand new stadium and, and be like, okay, you know, like, decent. When you look at the Clippers, right, Like, you know, they went into a, like a, you know, they spent a lot of money, but, you know, that's a lot. But we've talked about this. That's a much simpler proposition because that's just Steve Ballmer being like, yeah, yeah, man, I don't care. Have money. You want some money? I got lots of money. We got money. But I want to make something cool. Let's make something cool. I got money.

[John Corrales]

Like, right? This isn't Jeff Bezos coming to Boston and being like, I will buy. I will just buy Everett. I'll just buy Everett and then let them. We're good, right? Like, that's so. Yeah, that, that. But that's the thing, man. That's the thing about this group. It's a group. And, and all of these things would be groups for the most part, minus five people in the world that are allowed to buy a pro sports franchise. But it, it just the vastness of it all. And the theory is when you get the new arena, like, you can say, hey, we're just gonna, we're gonna credit. Credit. Max out all our credit cards to buy this new arena. Because then we will draw, you know, all of these concerts and we will draw the, the MMA and the WWE and the Monster Truck polls and all this other stuff. And like, but this is why I'm like, look, the Jacobs family, you think they're going to sit there and Be happy about this. No, they're going to fight, and they have established ties in Boston, and they're going to spend their money to be like, no, you cannot take away from this estab. They're going to. They're going to lean on. They will put out a. A whole PR blitz, which will make the whole fight more expensive. It's so impossible. It's just impossible to get this. Something like this done within the city of Boston. So what are their choices? Go out to the suburbs? You want to go to Suffolk Downs? Can you imagine the Celtics playing at Suffolk Downs? Oh, my God. Like, no. No. So I don't know. I, I, I think. I think all of these concerns are fair when it comes to this group, because even though Bill Chisholm is the face of it and he might be the guy organizing it, there's. It's so much more than him. It's so much more than him. And if, if the expectation is, hey, if you want a w, we want a WNBA team in Boston, we're going to tie it to the Celtics. Like, how do you make that happen? Like, that? How do you make all of this actually work? This is. This is. I don't know. There's a ton of questions. There's a ton of questions, and I haven't had a chance to ask them yet. So I'm asking him out here into the, into the ether, and maybe one of these.

[Tom Westerholm]

You're asking me yet again.

[John Corrales]

Who kind of looks like a younger Bill Chisholm when I look at the two of you? Like, sure, you could be. You could be your, like, you could be like, your dad.

[Tom Westerholm]

More and more people are saying that me and Bill Chisholm looking. Looking. I mean, maybe, you know, we both hold two homes, you know, might be related. You never know.

[John Corrales]

Yep, she's on. What? Like, it just could be like, oh, yeah.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah.

[John Corrales]

And you're both broke.

[Tom Westerholm]

What's that?

[John Corrales]

I said you're both broke, and we're both broke. We're both.

[Tom Westerholm]

I, however, am not overstretched by. I, however, am not overstretched by, uh, $4 billion. So over the next.

[John Corrales]

Are you going to build an arena in your backyard? No.

[Tom Westerholm]

But what I will say is, as we wrap up this podcast, once again, I. I think that this is another great opportunity for me to make my pitch to nationalize all sports teams. And.

[John Corrales]

I like it. I like, look, man, the. The blazers went for 4 billion. The Lakers went for 10 billion.

[Tom Westerholm]

10 billion.

[John Corrales]

You know what I mean? Like, 4 billion for the Portland Trailblazers. Like, yeah, that is. That is not a global brand. There's not much there, you know, and, like, I love Portland. I love the trailblazers. Like, I thought, you know, that. That's great, but $4 billion for that team. You. Who's gonna come in and just like, okay, you get one person comes like, you can't do that with every one of these teams. I think a lot of these owners, these longtime owners are going to start. Be like, hey, how can I turn down 4, 8, $10 billion for a franchise? But it's. It's gonna be more of these groups. I just.

[Tom Westerholm]

I just think, yeah, all of the owners are gonna see it as, like, an opportunity to get out. Like. Like. Like, not quite a bubble because, like, the. The value isn't going anywhere, but, like, yeah, like. Like, how are you supposed. If. If they're going for this much, how are you supposed to hang on to it? It doesn't make any sense.

[John Corrales]

All right, we'll see. One of these days, I'll get to ask these owners these questions.

[Tom Westerholm]

If they've considered nationalizing, see what they.

[John Corrales]

Sure. I'll see what they say.

[Tom Westerholm]

I'll see what they say.

[John Corrales]

I mean, they already probably hate me.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yeah. They can't be fans of you.

[John Corrales]

They probably are not very fond of me.

[Tom Westerholm]

I've been saying that you're a broke boy. For the last one.

[John Corrales]

You broke.

[Tom Westerholm]

Have you considered nationalizing the Celtics?

[John Corrales]

Yes. Yeah, I get. I. I'm. It's like, getting to a point where I feel like when I get called on, he. I would not be surprised if he has, like, an initial comment like, oh, you're the one who thinks I'm broke, you know, like. Or whatever. So I don't know. But, like, this might. That's going to be my first question that I said before. I think it's the most important question for the Celtics. If you and Wick say one thing, are all nine people gonna say the same thing, or do seven people's votes outvote you? That's going to be the question that changes the entire course of the Celtics because very easy to get five. All you need is five. This is like, you know, all you need is five people. And I don't know. I can't see nine people, nine rich people agreeing on the same thing. All right, we'll leave it there. We'll come back Friday. Flashcard Friday.

[Tom Westerholm]

Yes, sir.

[John Corrales]

We'll do that again. So, Tom, gear up for that. Go, stretch. All right, we'll see you then.

[Tom Westerholm]

Appreciate you, man.

[John Corrales]

Thanks. Appreciate you, Tom Westerholm I appreciate all of you listening on a regular basis every dayers here Monday through Friday, which starts again next week Monday through Friday. So give me your thoughts in the comment section. Let me know if you have similar concerns about this ownership group. I'm just curious. It could all be fine, but we don't know. So hey, subscribe to the show. We'll continue the conversation in the comments section. I would love to see you then share the podcast. Tell everybody, spread the word that they should be listening to and watching the Lockdown Celtics podcast here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. It's your team every day.

[Tom Westerholm]

FanDuel's getting you ready for the NFL season with an offer you won't want to miss. New customers can bet just $5 and get 300 in bonus bets if you win. That's right, pick a bet, bet five bucks and if it wins, you'll unlock 300 bucks in bonus bets to use all across the app. You can build parlays, bet player props, ride the live lines. Whatever your style, fanduel has you covered. The NFL season is almost here. The only question is, are you ready to play? Visit FanDuel.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started.

[John Corrales]

You showed up for a quick 9 that turned into 18. Blame the pure drives, birdie putts and the transfusion 5 hour energy shots. Inspired by golf's unofficial cocktail known as.

[Tom Westerholm]

The Transfusion, this product brings the iconic combination of grape, lime and ginger flavors.

[John Corrales]

To a non alcoholic Transfusion five Hour Energy Shot. Made with the classic five Hour Energy zero sugar blend of B vitamins, nutrients and caffeine. Stay clutch on the course and bring the party to the clubhouse afterward. Amp up your next round with a transfusion 5 hour energy shot available now at 5 hour energy.com Whirlpool Whirlpool asks what's ickier than a guy who wears shoes with toes? A front load washer without the fresh flow vent system? It's a trio of features that help keep your clothes and washer fresh. Whirlpool Everyday Care.