BRIGHTON — When it was announced that Wyc Grousbeck and his family would be selling the Boston Celtics, a small sliver of panic set in. In Massachusetts, sports are more than what meets the eye. They mean more. Bruins, Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics flags fly high on every block from Back Bay to Braintree. From Southie to Springfield.
For years, Grousbeck was more than an owner. He was a fan in the owners’ box. He embodied everything that the millions across New England should want—he put winning first. During his tenure, Grousbeck captured two titles, showing a willingness to spend in order to put more banners in the rafters of TD Garden.
But with him leaving the top seat in town, there was always a chance of disaster. The potential for a new owner to come into town and treat the Celtics like nothing more than a business endeavor.
That’s not Bill Chisholm. He’s been bleeding green for decades.
“Growing up in the 80s in Massachusetts, it's pretty hard to have—You'd have to have your head in the sand to not be a Celtics fan,” Chisholm said at his introductory press conference.
Bill Chisholm is proving his worth as a Celtics fan first
It was a family affair for the Chisholms, growing up in Georgetown, Massachusetts. And the same can be said for Chisholm’s family today. “My wife Kimberly and I have raised a family of die-hard Celtics fans,” he said.
There’s no getting around the business of basketball. When money is invested, especially the billions Chisholm and the new ownership group put in, things can get tricky.
That side of the NBA will always rear its ugly head, but Chisholm’s longtime obsession with the team may provide comfort for Celtics fans that other fanbases don’t get the luxury of having.
“My family—parents, brother, sister—we all would watch the games,” Chisholm said. “I remember Bob Cousy—There were a couple seasons when Bob Cousy and Gil Santos called games, and that was when I really was getting hooked. Actually, it might have been a little later. But it's hard not to be a big Celtics fan at that point.”
Chisholm’s investment past the literal dollars and cents was clear from the jump. Celtics team President Rich Gotham remembers his Cousy and Santos tales from one of their first interactions. “He definitely established his bona fides when he said that Gil Santos used to refer to Bob Cousy as 'Mon Ami' because he was French,” Gotham said. “And I was like, 'Wow, this guy is one of us.'”
“Deep cut,” Chisholm haughed. “That is a deep cut,” Gotham admitted.
The future is impossible to distinguish. There could come a day when the business outweighs Chisholm’s love for the green and white. Money always has a knack for altering priorities.
But for now, his fandom is shining through. And for the rest of the fanbase bleeding green in New England and beyond, that’s a great place to start.
“With a city like Boston, that kind of brotherhood is really powerful,” Chisholm said. “Going to games and that energy. Wow, it's pretty cool.”