So much for Jeff Bezos being a prime suitor of the Boston Celtics.
The Ringer’s Bill Simmons reported Sunday on his podcast that there was “legitimate buzz” about the Amazon founder and multi-billionaire buying a majority stake in the Celtics. Just two days later, however, The Information’s Nick Wingfield reported Bezos has “no plans” to bid on the Celtics and that there’s “zero truth” to Simmons’ speculation.
So, is this development good news or bad news for the Celtics as Wyc Grousbeck seeks a new majority owner for the franchise? Should fans want a deep-pocketed outsider like Bezos to come in and spend big, or is it better that Bezos’ apparent disinterest opens the door for a local connection like Steve Pagliuca, who’s a part of the current ownership group that just brought Banner 18 to Boston?
From a pure entertainment perspective, Boston Sports Tonight co-host Michael Felger wanted Bezos to stay in the running.
“I’m fascinated by this story and disappointed as a media guy and a talk show host in this town that Bezos is out,” Felger told co-host Michael Holley on Tuesday night’s episode of BST, as seen in the video player above.
“What an interesting story. Jeff Bezos, that is an outsider. Has he had anything to do with Boston, ever? Talk about the ultimate (outsider) coming in here with his big Amazon schmenzer like, ‘I’m taking over the Celtics, I’m building the Amazon Dome, and if you don’t like it, too bad. I’m Jeff Bezos.'”
Simmons theorized on his podcast that if Bezos — the world’s second-richest person, per Forbes — bought the team, he could use his massive wealth to build a futuristic new Celtics arena, following the path of Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers with the Intuit Dome.
Installing a new arena in Boston would be easier said than done, however — the Celtics recently signed a 15-year lease to play games at TD Garden through the 2035-36 season — and could be part of the reason why Bezos reportedly is passing on buying the team.
Still, Felger at least wanted Bezos to make a run at the Celtics to start those conversations about the franchise’s future.
“You never really hear from the guy, and yet he’s going to own the Celtics? He’s going to come into Boston and own the building?” Felger said. “It would be so fascinating to see him try, and the fact that he’s out, as a media guy, I’m disappointed.
“We’re all rooting for Pagliuca. I think that’d be a great result on a lot of levels. I’m just saying in terms of intrigue, Bezos coming in here and taking over would be tremendous. … He builds a new arena to compete with the Garden? Like, that’s fun stuff.”
Felger’s radio co-host, 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Tony Massarotti, recently suggested that Fenway Sports Group’s John Henry isn’t interested in purchasing the Celtics, and at the moment, no other suitors besides Pagliuca have come forward.
There’s still plenty of time for that to change, however.