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Fenway Sports Group is not among the interested bidders for the Boston Celtics, multiple industry sources have confirmed to MassLive. The John-Henry led group, which also owns the Red Sox, Liverpool FC, the Pittsburgh Penguins in other sporting properties, was never seriously believed to be in the mix to buy the Celtics. On Monday, a story on NBC Sports’ Basketball Talk page characterized FSG as a group “expected to make a bid,” fueling rampant social media speculation. But nothing has changed since Red Sox president — and FSG CEO — Sam Kennedy threw cold water on the idea in September.
Fenway Sports Group has not made any overtures regarding a purchase of the Boston Celtics, per Rob Bradford of WEEI 93.7 FM. The sports holding conglomerate, whose principal owner is John W. Henry, includes ownership of the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In 2021, James and his long-standing business manager Maverick Carter swapped that stake in Liverpool for a piece of FSG itself, which made them co-owners of baseball’s Boston Red Sox and ice hockey’s Pittsburgh Penguins, too. Two years later, they were given more shares in FSG to deepen the bond.
James joining the Milan ownership group will now make him a partial owner of four different clubs. He already owns stakes in the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool Football Club. The 18-time All-Star is expected to be a passive investor of the Italian team through the fund. “James, Iovine and Drake are passive investors in Milan through the fund and have not taken direct stakes, two people said,” wrote Agini, Fontanella-Kahn and Germano. Interestingly, Liverpool and Milan have a rather exciting shared history when it comes to facing off against one another.
LeBron James to be involved in Las Vegas expansion team?
The Ringer founder was discussing the NBA on the latest episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast when he dropped a bit of “intel” about league expansion and how LeBron James may play a role in it. “I have some intel,” Bill Simmons said. “I think the league is going to expand to Vegas and to Seattle. And I think the leading contender to get that Vegas team is going to be the Fenway Sports Group. They have Liverpool, they bought the [Pittsburgh] Penguins. They’ve been circling different NBA teams for a while. I think they looked at Minnesota. And I think they’re the leading contender for Vegas. I heard, combined, we’re talking $6.5-7 billion for the two teams.”
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Arctos was co-founded by private equity veteran Ian Charles and former MSG CEO David “Doc” O’Connor. The firm had about $2.9 billion in assets under management as of October, and has already made more than a dozen investments. They include about 17% of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, and in Fenway Sports Group, the parent of the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The group is also nearing agreements to invest in the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning.
It sounds like LeBron James’ sports group is working on some exciting possibilities. Fenway Sports Group, which James is a partner of, is reportedly looking to purchase an NBA franchise. “Fenway Sports Group wants to buy an NBA team once it’s done acquiring the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, Axios has learned,” wrote Dan Primack of Axios. “Why it matters: FSG is pioneering a new sort of corporate sports ownership, buying up marquee franchises in different geographic markets.”
Fenway Sports Group wants to buy an NBA team once it's done acquiring the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, Axios has learned. Why it matters: FSG is pioneering a new sort of corporate sports ownership, buying up marquee franchises in different geographic markets.
Red Sox owners interested in buying NBA franchise
Fenway Sports Group wants to buy an NBA team once it's done acquiring the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, Axios has learned. FSG currently owns the The Boston Red Sox and a NASCAR team in the U.S., plus Liverpool F.C. in Europe. It also recently invested in Spring Hill Group, a content production firm co-founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter (both of whom have small stakes in FSG).
Thread Sports Management, an NBA player representation firm owned by veteran agent Bernie Lee, has merged into Quartexx Group, a firm that is owned by Lino Saputo Jr., one of the richest people in Canada. Financial terms were not disclosed. But the basketball player practice will now be known as Quartexx Basketball. Quartexx Group is based in Montreal and is the parent of Quartexx Hockey, which represents many top NHL players, including Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, Coyotes wing Taylor Hall, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, Maple Leafs wing Mitch Marner and Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.
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"I didn't invite LeBron James, and I didn't invite Steph Curry. We're not going to invite either team," Trump told reporters before departing for Canada, where he will participate in the G7 Summit. "But we have other teams that are coming. If you look, we had Alabama — national champion. We had Clemson, national champion. We had the New England Patriots. We had the Pittsburgh Penguins last year."
With the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings officially snapping a string of 25 consecutive playoff appearances, the Spurs are left with the longest active streak in professional sports. The Spurs have qualified for the postseason for 20 consecutive season. Second place belongs to the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, who have a 12-season streak.
The Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks have advanced to the championship rounds of their respective leagues, the ninth time a metro region has hosted the NBA and NHL finals at the same time. It marks the first time those sports have simultaneously contested their finals west of such subzero climates as New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago. For fans, it has been a thrilling, exhausting spring, summoning game faces night after night -- sometimes on the same night -- for two "home" teams. "There have been a lot of late nights over the past month," said Dan Fisher, a Sharks season ticket holder. He watched Monday night's Game 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Britannia Arms in downtown San Jose, despite the periodic "annoyance" of the Warriors' Game 7 win over Oklahoma City playing on many of the bar's TVs.
So did his interaction with the media on this day, which he usually limits to the preseason and postseason. He wants the focus on his team as he works behind the scenes, much like his friend and NHL legend Mario Lemieux does as a co-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jordan looks to reserve the bulk of his public appearances in support of the Hornets' community initiatives, as opposed to the spotlight he once dominated. "MJ rarely attends away games because he doesn't want to deal with all the rah rah," Hornets general manager Rich Cho said.
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