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The Celtics Just Set a Record. NBA Expansion Is Up Next

NBA owners are likely rejoicing over Thursday’s news that the Boston Celtics are being sold for $6.1 billion, the highest price ever paid for a sports franchise. Not only does it help the valuations of their own teams, but it sets the stage for the league’s expected expansion.

Though nothing formal is underway, the NBA looks on course to add multiple teams at some point in the next few years. Commissioner Adam Silver said late last year that the process had “begun internally at the league office,” with the intention to widen it to owners and potential bidders in the future.

Before that, however, certain goals had to be met. First, the league needed labor peace, which it achieved in 2023 with a new seven-year CBA. Then it turned to its media deals. The NBA signed $76 billion worth of deals last July. The Celtics sale could be viewed as a third hurdle, a new benchmark price from which to begin the conversations with potential groups looking to join the league.

The Celtics announced that a group led by William Chisholm has reached a deal to buy the team in multiple stages.

Expansion is essentially selling equity in the league. Expansion fees are shared directly among owners—to offset the dilution of NBA-wide revenue from things like sponsorships and media deals—and in this case could easily be a $150-plus million windfall for the 30 existing teams for each new franchise added.

Speaking at owners meetings in New York in September, Silver slow-played the expansion process.

“There was not a lot of discussion in this meeting about expansion,” he said. “It was something that we told our board we plan to address this season, and we’re not quite ready yet. But I think there’s certainly interest in the process, and I think that we’re not there yet in terms of having made any specific decisions about markets or even frankly to expand.”

It’s unclear if expansion will be a topic at owners meetings in New York later this month. That said, for many in the league it’s a matter of when, not if. And Silver has said that if it were to happen, he would expect it to be two cities.

Seattle and Las Vegas are by far the most discussed potential landing spots. Fenway Sports Group, owners of the Red Sox and Liverpool FC, are interested in Vegas as an NBA market. So too is Golden Knights owner Bill Foley. In Seattle, the $1.15 billion renovation of KeyArena, now Climate Pledge Arena, was viewed as a significant hurdle cleared.

The NBA last expanded in 2004, when the then-Charlotte Bobcats became the league’s 30th franchise. The fee at the time was $300 million. Previous reporting has speculated that the NBA’s next expansion fee might be in the $4 billion to $5 billion range,  but that was back when the highest price ever paid for control of an NBA team was $4 billion.

The NHL has added two teams in the past decade—the Golden Knights ($500 million expansion) and the Seattle Kraken ($650 million). The latest expansion teams in MLS have been Charlotte FC ($325 million), St. Louis City SC ($200 million) and San Diego FC ($500 million).

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Kirsty Coventry named new IOC president as Coe denied in election vote – as it happened

A vote expected to be tense, tight and protracted turned out to be one-sided and extraordinarily brief, ending with Kirsty Coventry’s election as IOC president

In addition to the seven candidates a total of eight IOC members will not be allowed to vote in the first round. They are using an electronic voting process that involves some kind of smart card, which are currently being distributed.

All of the important procedural stuff are in the preamble or at the bottom of this page.

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Despite Appearances, Tortorella Loves Coaching Flyers Rookie Standout

John Tortorella and Matvei Michkov (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)

If you’ve watched the Philadelphia Flyers this season, you wouldn’t be faulted for believing that John Tortorella has had a miserable time coaching rookie Matvei Michkov.

That would be the wrong interpretation.

The hard-driving Tortorella has benched Michkov during games for defensive lapses and gotten into a heated shouting match with the 20-year-old on the bench. He even made Michkov, the Flyers’ most creative player, a healthy scratch for two games earlier this season.

All of that is just part of the process, Tortorella said.

“There’s still a lot of teaching to be done,” he told the media on Monday. “I think it’s been a fantastic process. To get him over here a year earlier than we thought and to go through the process and start the process.”

The old-school coach said that has been beneficial because of “how much we’ve covered – and the way he has grown and his communication.”

Entering Thursday’s game in Washington against fellow Russian Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, Michkov has 20 goals, second among NHL rookies and one goal behind San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini. The Flyers’ right winger is third among rookies with 47 points and has made himself a Calder Trophy candidate.

“One of the biggest things is just integrating him to the team and to the team process, and to be a good teammate over here,” Tortorella said. “All that stuff, it's been really good.”

Besides his flashy maneuvers, Michkov has shown feistiness and a willingness to stick up for teammates on the ice.

“I love coaching him,” Tortorella said. “The best compliment I can give him is that he’s a hockey player. I think he wants to learn. He’s got the right type of stubbornness to him. It’s been really good.”

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (53 points) and Celebrini (50) are the Calder front-runners, but Michkov could win the award with a strong finish over the season’s final four weeks. Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf (2.62 goals-against average, .912 save percentage), a seventh-round steal from the 2019 draft, is also in the mix.

No Flyers player has ever been named the rookie of the year since the franchise started in 1967. Michkov was selected the NHL’s rookie of the month in October and February. During one stretch last month, he had eight points over a three-game stretch, the first Flyers rookie to accomplish the feat since Eric Lindros in 1992.

Flyers Vs. Penguins: Who Will Be Cup Contenders Sooner?Flyers Vs. Penguins: Who Will Be Cup Contenders Sooner?Remember when the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins rivalry was arguably the best in the NHL, matching hated cross-state rivals who were usually among the league’s elite?

The No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Michkov said he is looking forward to facing the 39-year-old Ovechkin again on Thursday.

“It’s always a pleasure to go against a player like Alex,” Michkov said. “It’s been a big honor – and to especially be in the league when he’s so close to that amazing level (goal record). Everybody is waiting for it.”

As for the Calder Trophy, Michkov conceded he is aware of the rookie race, but downplayed the award.

“My main thing is to keep working,” he said, an answer that would undoubtedly make Tortorella smile.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

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Last Call For Bets On GR8 Chase: Alex Ovechkin to Break Wayne Gretzky's NHL Goal Record

Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin is eight goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's NHL Goal record with odds increasing for it to happen this season

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The biggest storyline of the NHL season has by far been the GR8 Chase with Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin on the precipice of passing hockey legend Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record. There is 14 games left in the Capitals season and Ovechkin is within eight goals from breaking the record after scoring versus the Sharks last Sunday.

The Russian winger has 34 goals on the season now, and betting odds for the record to be broken this season have dropped drastically to -136 and which means this may be our last opportunity to take the bet at a bargain.

More NHL: Maple Leafs Present Best Betting Value in Tight Divisional Race with Panthers, Bolts

All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

In our last post about the GR8 Chase, we said to take the odds while you could at +150 and like we predicted the odds continued to drop due to Ovechkin continuing to score as the Capitals were heading into several favourable matchups. Washington is still dominating with the league's best offence and second-best defence plus they have the 11th-easiest remaining strength of schedule, according to Tankathon.

The case is starting to look more and more likely as they will play against bottom ten defences in the Blackhawks, Sabres, Flyers, Bruins and Penguins. Ovechkin will also play against teams that he has great career numbers against like the Jets and Hurricanes, who he has his first and second-most career goals against respectively.

It should come down to the wire with Ovechkin's 0.65 goals per game average this season should have him beating the record by a goal or two with a season-long projection of roughly 43 goals, which gives us not a lot of room for error but he has rarely missed time due to injury and the franchise seems focused on bringing home the record this season and will see it through to the end. 

More NHL: Anaheim Ducks Continue to Hold Title as NHL's Best Betting Team 

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Boston Celtics being sold to Bill Chisholm for North American record $6.1 billion

Bay Area tech investor Bill Chisholm has agreed to purchase the Boston Celtics for a record $6.1 billion — the most ever paid for any North American sports franchise, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and confirmed by the Grousbeck family and the Boston Basketball Partners (the sellers).

The sale breaks the record of $6 billion paid for the NFL's Washington Commanders. The previous record price for an NBA franchise is $4 billion (what Mat Ishbia paid for the Phoenix Suns).

“Growing up on the North Shore and attending college in New England, I have been a die-hard Celtics fan my entire life,” Chisholm said in a released statement. “I understand how important the Celtics are to the city of Boston – the role the team plays in the community is different than any other city in the country. I also understand that there is a responsibility as a leader of the organization to the people of Boston, and I am up for this challenge.”

“Bill is a terrific person and a true Celtics fan, born and raised here in the Boston area,” team governor Wyc Grousbeck said. “His love for the team and the city of Boston, along with his chemistry with the rest of the Celtics leadership, make him a natural choice to be the next Governor and controlling owner of the team. I know he appreciates the importance of the Celtics and burns with a passion to win on the court while being totally committed to the community. Quite simply, he wants to be a great owner. He has asked me to run the team as CEO and Governor for the first three years, and stay on as his partner, and I am glad to do so.”

The sale still needs to be approved by the NBA Board of Governors (the other owners) but is expected to go through.

Chisholm is purchasing a championship team — Boston won the NBA title a season ago and is among the favorites to win this season. The team is set up to contend for seasons to come, but it's going to get very expensive for ownership to keep the team at that level.

The Celtics were put up for sale last summer by the majority owner Grousbeck family, which had a controlling interest in the Boston Basketball Partners, a group of investors who owned the team. Wyc Grousbeck is the face and team governor, but his father, Irving Grousbeck, 90, was the largest single owner in the family (about 20% of the team) and reportedly had pushed for the sale.

The Grousbecks surprised the NBA last July with the announcement they were selling a 51% interest in the team and want to do so in phases, starting now and running until 2028, with Wyc Grousbeck remaining the team's governor until then. Whether Chisolm or the NBA — which just saw a messy sale of the Milwaukee Bucks to Mark Lore and Alex Rodriguez in part because of a dragged-out sale — will want this sale to close sooner remains to be seen.

Chisholm is the managing partner of Symphony Technology Group (STG), a San Francisco-based private equity firm that invests in "market leaders across the mid-market software and software-enabled tech services landscape," according to its website. RSA and SurveyMonkey are among the better-known companies in the STG portfolio.

The NBA was hoping for a $6 billion or higher price tag for the sale because it will impact the buy-in price for expansion, if the NBA still plans to continue down that road. The Grousbeck and partners purchased the Celtics in 2002 for $360 million.

Beyond the purchase price, owning Celtics could be very expensive, both on and off the court, in the coming years.

On the court, keeping the Celtics' championship core together will send the team deep into the tax apron. Jaylen Brown's new max contract kicked in this season, and next season Jayson Tatum's already signed max contract begins (2025-26), plus next season there is $32.4 million to Jrue Holiday, $30.7 million for Kristaps Porzingis, $28.7 million for Derrick White and dealing with free agents like Al Horford and Luke Kornet. Payroll and taxes are expected to come out to $252 million for the Celtics this season (fourth most in the league), and that is expected to balloon up to more than $450 million for the 2025-26 season (when the repeater tax kicks in with a vengeance).

Off the court, the Celtics don't own TD Garden (it is owned by the same group that owns the NHL's Boston Bruins). There is speculation that part of the reason Chisholm purchased the team is to use them in a real estate deal to build a new arena (and likely some retail and other infrastructure around it, depending on the exact location).

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Thanks to Shohei Ohtani, MLB enjoys huge success in Japan and has momentum heading into 2025 season

TOKYO — There was the crack of Shohei Ohtani’s bat, the roars from the Tokyo Dome crowd and the beeps from the credit card machines at the massive merchandise center selling boatloads of Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs gear.

It all must have been music to the ears of Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.

The 2025 season couldn’t have had a much better start for the sport, which showcased its international appeal in Japan. The Tokyo Dome hosted a capacity crowd of roughly 42,000 for all four games — two exhibitions against Japanese teams and two regular-season games — and thousands more came downtown to enjoy the spectacle of a wildly successful overseas trip.

It’s all part of MLB’s winning streak as it barrels toward its domestic opening day on March 27. The game is in solid health with a slight increase in stadium attendance and a quicker pace of play thanks to a series of rules changes that started in 2023.

“To the city of Tokyo and the country of Japan, on behalf of the Dodgers and Major League Baseball, we just want to say thank you,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “You guys were all such great hosts.

“Hopefully we put on a good show.”

It’s hard to argue otherwise. Ohtani’s towering solo homer in the Dodgers’ 6-3 win put an exclamation point on a two-game sweep in which five Japanese players returned home, including four who played quite well, navigating the suffocating pressure of performing in front of their home fans.

Chicago’s Shota Imanaga and Los Angeles’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto got things started with the first all-Japanese starting pitching duel in opening day history. Both delivered, with Imanaga throwing four scoreless innings and Yamamoto responding with five quality frames of his own, giving up just one run over five innings in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win.

In the second game, Dodgers rookie Roki Sasaki made his big league debut, firing four 100 mph fastballs to start his career in three electrifying — if a little erratic — innings that showcased his potential. Chicago’s Seiya Suzuki was the only one with a quiet homecoming, going hitless in the two games.

But the center of attention was undoubtedly Ohtani, who handled the massive expectations with grace and skill. He went 3 for 8 with a pair of walks, including the solo homer that just cleared the wall in right-center field, giving the Dodgers a 6-2 lead.

Even Chicago’s Pete Crow-Armstrong unwittingly contributed to the fairy tale scene, flipping Ohtani’s home run ball into the stands where a 10-year-old Japanese boy caught it and became an instant celebrity.

“You know, it’s not surprising,” Roberts said. “Nothing Shohei does surprises me. Everyone here tonight came to watch Shohei perform and put on a show. And like Shohei does, he always seems to deliver.

“It was a great moment for everyone for him to hit a home run here at the Tokyo Dome.”

The festive scene was in stark contrast to last year’s two-game series in South Korea between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres, when news of a gambling scandal involving Ohtani’s translator Ippei Mizuhara marred the series and briefly tarnished Ohtani’s spotless reputation.

Mizuhara later pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Dodgers player’s bank account. He was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison in February.

Ohtani was never implicated in the scandal, and the slugger responded to the turmoil with one of the greatest seasons in MLB history, becoming the first player to have at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season and helping the Dodgers win the World Series over the New York Yankees.

The 30-year-old’s baseball heroics over the past year have made the stunning 10-year, $700 million deal he signed with the Dodgers seem like a bargain. Now he’s trying to return to the field as a two-way player, targeting a May return to the mound as he tries to pitch for the first time since elbow surgery in 2023.

It’s fair to wonder how much longer Ohtani’s surgically repaired body can keep up this pace. He had left (non-throwing) shoulder surgery during the offseason to repair a torn labrum after an injury sustained in Game 2 of the World Series and has now had two major surgeries on his pitching elbow.

But if we’ve learned anything since Ohtani came to the big leagues, baseball’s conventional wisdom doesn’t seem to apply to one of the best players the game has ever seen.