{"id":705424,"date":"2026-04-08T15:24:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T15:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/705424\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T15:24:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T15:24:30","slug":"celtics-owner-bill-chisholm-reflects-on-his-first-year-with-the-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/705424\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics owner Bill Chisholm reflects on his first year with the team"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Boston Celtics\u2019 newest majority owner, Bill Chisholm, recently took part in a 1-on-1 interview with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe<\/a>, and there was plenty for fans to take away from it. The interview covered topics such as his thoughts on and relationship with the team during his first year, the approach in the upcoming offseason, and even thoughts on building a new stadium.<\/p>\n

Chisholm is a self-proclaimed die-hard Celtics fan, and he can often be spotted on the sidelines of the team\u2019s home games at TD Garden. He\u2019s been extremely present, without being apparently overbearing. He shared how pleased he was to have the opportunity to be the leading governor of the Celtics, while also reflecting on the season so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been following the Celtics forever, and this is my favorite team,\u201d he said, adding \u201cThis is a fun team to root for. They play hard every night, they bring it, they execute, and there\u2019s been a lot of really good leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued by saying that he feels \u201cextremely welcome,\u201d and that he\u2019s trying to \u201cfind the right balance of being supportive and visible to them without making them feel like I\u2019m looking over their shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wyc Grousbeck, the previous majority owner of the team, was beloved by fans. Not only did he help return the team to a winning culture which was briefly absent during the late 90\u2019s and early 2000\u2019s, he supported the team enough for them to deliver two championships during his tenure, and he did so while maintaining a fan-like presence.<\/p>\n

Based on Chisholm\u2019s answer, he seems to be taking a similar route, relishing in the opportunity to lead his favorite team while doing what he can to put them in the best possible position to succeed. He noted that he\u2019s made an effort to build a relationship with all of the players and Joe Mazzulla, while also mentioning that he and Joe are \u201con the same page,\u201d and that he\u2019s a huge fan. Bill provided some well-deserved praise to Brad Stevens as well, saying \u201c[Brad] and his team are tremendous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Boston,<\/a><\/p>\n

Boston, MA – September 25: Bill Chisholm, the new lead owner and governor of the Boston Celtics, listens as Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations, speaks during an introductory press conference at the Auerbach Center on September 25, 2025 in Boston. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Boston Globe via Getty Images<\/p>\n

In terms of managing his new ownership duties along with his previously existing business responsibilities, Chisholm credited Grousbeck for making things \u201cseamless\u201d for him, saying that Wyc \u201cdid it for over 20 years and done it incredibly well,\u201d while extending similar praise to Brad and the executive team for managing the basketball aspects.<\/p>\n

In terms of challenges, Bill had this to say: \u201cProbably my biggest challenge is to incrementally improve things, but most importantly, ensure the culture stays intact. For me, the thing I\u2019ve probably been most proud of is resisting the temptation of the new owner curse [of making too many changes], because it\u2019s a very good situation and I certainly don\u2019t take that for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celtics fans are likely equally grateful of Chisholm for not leaning into that temptation, and can certainly appreciate the transparency. In terms of things that he\u2019s trying to improve, Bill didn\u2019t have anything specific in mind. Instead, he said that he tries to get that pulse from Brad, assistant general manager Mike Zarren, and their team. He noted that Brad emphasizes culture more than anything, so that\u2019s where the focus is currently.<\/p>\n

This upcoming offseason will be Chisholm\u2019s first at the helm. When asked about how involved he intends to be, Bill had a simple message which fans will love: \u201cI\u2019ll do whatever it takes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chisholm feels confident that he knows what that entails, mentioning that he\u2019s taken the time to understand the CBA and the salary cap to stay informed, and to empower the team to make better decisions. He did say that \u201cultimately, I\u2019m looking to Brad and [team president Rich Gotham] and their teams to make the recommendations, and I\u2019m there to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill is cognizant of the fact that fans are afraid of the possibility that new ownership means cost cutting, treating the team as a business venture as opposed to something entwined with the lives of millions. He emphasized that he knows he has to prove himself from now until the time he passes the team along, and is eager to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were completely aligned that we\u2019re about winning. We\u2019re going to compete, play hard, develop our talent, find additional talent, and this is not a gap year. We\u2019re just not doing that. I can put my hand on heart saying that. I\u2019ll prove it and I\u2019ll continue to prove it every day, that I just want to win,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"BOSTON,<\/a><\/p>\n

BOSTON, MA – MARCH 18: Head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics aplauds his team along with owner Bill Chisholm during the second half of their win over the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden on March 18, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Reflections on Jayson and Jaylen<\/p>\n

When asked about Jayson Tatum\u2019s recovery from the torn Achilles, Bill was clearly amazed, saying \u201choly cow, he\u2019s throwing up triple-doubles now.\u201d He added that there was never any pressure for Tatum to come back, but they knew it was a possibility, and wanted to prepare the team for either reality.<\/p>\n

Chisholm also reflected on how Jaylen Brown stepped up this season: \u201cHe\u2019s always been incredible, but to have even another gear in Year 10 is really incredible. I think as a player he upped his game across all dimensions, but as a leader as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaylen\u2019s leadership clearly made an impression on Bill, who shared stories of seeing JB coaching and supporting his teammates on the sideline, or taking the game into his hands when the team was struggling. Chisholm added that Jaylen \u201cabsolutely should be first-team All-NBA, and for me he\u2019s certainly my personal MVP.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previously, Bill was asked whether he had any intentions of building a new stadium for the team to play in. At the time, he responded by saying that he believes TD Garden is a good home for the team, but he was curious to hear more from the fans.<\/p>\n

The Globe resurfaced the discussion, asking Chisholm if the fans gave him any feedback on the idea, and if he changed his stance at all. Bill\u2019s response was that \u201cit\u2019s pretty much the same as it was at the beginning of the season\u2026 The Garden is a great place to play\u2026 It\u2019s loud, a lot of energy, and it\u2019s got a storied history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ideally, Bill wants the team to stay where it is. He did note that to make it work, he wants to improve both the fan and player experience. \u201cIf we can do those things and remain where we are now, that\u2019s great. And if that doesn\u2019t work there, we\u2019ll think about other places,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that Celtics ownership and Bruins ownership are on the same page about their commitment to staying at TD as of now. \u201cThat\u2019s where we want to end up and we\u2019re working on it as we speak,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Boston,<\/a><\/p>\n

Boston, MA – November 26: Bill Chisholm, the new owner of the Boston Celtics, poses with his children Quentin, Aidan, and Will, from left, and his wife, Kimberly Ford Chisholm, at TD Garden before a game against the Detroit Pistons on November 26, 2025. (Photo by Erin Clark\/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Boston Globe via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Bill currently splits time between Boston and California because of his other business dealings, but feels very warmly about Boston despite the harsh winter: \u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic city, and to have the energy of what\u2019s been going on with the Celtics, but also the Patriots\u2019 run, it\u2019s been a magical time for Boston as a city and a sports city. I always say it\u2019s the best sports city in the country, so that\u2019s been special.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that he \u201cgrew up in the North Shore, but this is my first time living in the city proper, so there\u2019s a lot of stuff that\u2019s familiar and a lot that\u2019s new as well.\u201d He also mentioned that \u201cit\u2019s a dead heat\u201d for who in his family is the biggest fan of the team between his wife, his three kids, and himself, of course. He called it a \u201cgift\u201d from the Celtics to give him the opportunity to share this experience with his kids, who are in their mid-to-late 20s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Boston Celtics\u2019 newest majority owner, Bill Chisholm, recently took part in a 1-on-1 interview with Adam Himmelsbach…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588540,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3766],"tags":[7,45,75,3798,46,21388,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-705424","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boston-celtics","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-boston","10":"tag-boston-celtics","11":"tag-bostonceltics","12":"tag-celtics","13":"tag-celtics-news","14":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116369784279956366","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}