He started by looking down at a piece of paper and reading a brief statement in which he thanked the outgoing ownership group and talked about the responsibility of protecting and advancing the legacy of the franchise.
“Training camp begins in a few days,” Chisholm said, “and I just can’t wait to see what this season will bring.”
Chisholm was flanked on the stage by alternate governors Wyc Grousbeck and Aditya Mittal, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, and Gotham.
Grousbeck initially was slated to remain the team’s lead governor through the 2027-28 season, but that plan was scuttled when extra fund-raising caused Grousbeck’s ownership stake to dip below the 15 percent required to fill that role.
Chisholm and Grousbeck continued to praise their evolving partnership Thursday. Chisholm said that at a recent board of governors meeting, Grousbeck spent nearly two hours introducing him to his new peers from around the league. He also said Grousbeck has been an invaluable resource, pointing out that he has “kept me out of some trouble” as he navigates this new world. But he also left no doubt about the current hierarchy.
“At the end of the day, I am accountable and there is a governor, and the governor has the final say, and that’s me,” Chisholm said.
Chisholm also made it clear that he has no intention of disturbing a front office that has built one of the NBA’s most consistent and successful franchises over the past decade, including the 2023-24 championship season.
Stevens said that during meetings with Chisholm it has become clear that he would be empowered to do his job.
“Any time you go through a significant change like that and you’re in some position of leadership, that’s your first concern, so that was answered with flying colors from Day 1,“ Stevens said, “and that’s really all I cared about.”
When Chisholm agreed to purchase the Celtics about six months ago, the Celtics were the defending NBA champions and appeared well-positioned to challenge for a second consecutive title.
But that goal crumbled when a conference semifinals loss to the Knicks was exacerbated by superstar forward Jayson Tatum’s Achilles’ injury that will sideline him indefinitely. Over the summer, Stevens worked to get below the salary cap’s second apron to ease roster-building restrictions, and that led to the departures of starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Big men Al Horford and Luke Kornet departed in free agency, as well.
So now Chisholm takes over a team with reset expectations, and the near future, at least, is cloudy. But Chisholm and Grousbeck insisted Thursday that the ultimate goals remain unchanged.
“My goal and my high-level direction to Brad and the team is let’s do whatever we can to win championships and raise banners,” Chisholm said. “Ultimately, we’re going to do everything we can to win. That is job No. 1 and not just win games, win championships.”
Since Chisholm’s purchase was completed, questions have persisted about whether he might seek a new arena for the Celtics. TD Garden is owned by Delaware North, the parent company of the Bruins, and the Celtics have a lease that runs through the 2035-36 season.
“I don’t have a specific point of view on it,” Chisholm said. “I have some sort of philosophical perspective on it. The first thing is, I really like Boston Garden, personally. I think that the team and the players really like the Boston Garden and equally importantly, the fans really like the Boston Garden. So that’s a starting point. Second thing is, you know, I think the Celtics and the Bruins, they belong together, so that’s another part of the equation, as well. And then the third thing is, we are 100 percent committed to creating the best fan experience possible, and we’ll take a look at it where that is, but we’ve got a great thing going right now.”
Chisholm also spoke briefly about his potential involvement in bringing a WNBA team to Boston. Over the summer, the Connecticut Sun announced their intention to sell the team. Former Celtics alternate governor Steve Pagliuca is part of a group bidding to bring the franchise to Boston, but the WNBA has pushed back against that possibility and reportedly prefers to see the Sun relocate to Houston.
But Boston could eventually be in the mix for an expansion franchise.
“First of all, I think Boston should have a team,” Chisholm said. “This is the best sports city in the country and this is the birthplace of basketball, so we should have a team. Getting this done, we’ve been at it now in this seat for a month or so, so it’s definitely something we’re going to look at and the NBA has a process, we’ll do what we can to expedite things, but this is a process there. But philosophically, it makes so much sense.”