Jayson Tatum, who led the Celtics to an NBA championship and subsequently became the highest-paid player in league history, admitted he was “shocked” to learn that part of the Boston franchise was for sale.
Wyck Grusbeck announced Monday that his majority shareholder group intends to sell its shares in the team, which came as a major surprise to Tatum, the Celtics’ five-time All-Star forward.
“I hope the foundation and structure stays the same,” Tatum said. He told Sports Illustrated magazine “What we’ve built, what we have is great. I wouldn’t want things to change,” he said at the JT Elite Camp in Las Vegas.
The 26-year-old Tatum agreed to a five-year, $314 million contract extension earlier this week, making him the highest-paid player in the league.
Celtics stars Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis are all under contract through the 2026-27 season.
Boston had the NBA’s best regular season record (64-18) and barely struggled in the playoffs, winning 16 of 19 postseason games en route to their 18th championship, the most in franchise history.
Grusbeck and partner Steve Pagliuca led the group that bought the team in 2002 for $360 million, but Sportico recently estimated the team’s current value at just over $5 billion.
“After much consideration and internal discussion, the controlling family of the ownership group has decided to sell the team, taking into account their legacy and family planning considerations,” Grousbeck’s ownership group said in a statement.
