Insider shares word of caution for Boston Celtics after $6.1 Billion sale, looking at recent ownership failures

Symphony Technology co-founder William Chisholm agreed this week to purchase the Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion, surpassing the previous record of $6.05 billion for an American sports team sale, which sent shockwaves through the NBA community.

Although Chisholm is paying a record $6.1 billion for the franchise and is committed to upholding the Celtics' winning traditions, The Ringer's Howard Beck has issued a word of warning.

On Friday, Beck wrote about how, despite Chisholm being a self-described die-hard Celtics fan who understands the importance of winning, the current group and the NBA's new luxury tax aprons could pose challenges for sustained success in its present form.

To make his point, Beck referenced Mikhail Prokhorov, who owned the team formerly known as the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks owner James Dolan:

"Just about every new owner says the right things at the start. It’s the follow-through that gets tricky. ... Consider Mikhail Prokhorov, the swaggering Russian oligarch who in 2010 bought the then–New Jersey Nets and promised a championship within five years."

"Consider Prokhorov’s onetime rival James Dolan, owner of the Knicks, who spent wildly from the moment he took over in 1999 and and chased marquee players, coaches and executives for two decades. Every fan wants an owner who’s aggressive and engaged and willing to spend … until those impulses backfire."

Whether a similar fate befalls Boston, only time will tell.

"This process to buy the team started just under 50 years ago," - New Boston Celtics owner William Chisholm opens up on the process of purchasing the historic franchise

While the process of finding a new owner for the Boston Celtics has taken nearly a full season, William Chisholm's journey to purchasing the Celtics began fifty years ago.

During an interview with ESPN's Shams Charania in the wake of news that he would become the team's new owner, Chisholm spoke about his 50-year-long journey to buy the team.

"This process to buy the team started just under 50 years ago when I had my 7th birthday and attended a game at the old Boston Garden. I was hooked ever since. I've been a rabid fan ever since. I bleed green. I love the Celtics. When this opportunity came up, I couldn't pass it up."

While the team will have a new owner at the helm, familiar faces will remain in the ownership group, including Rob Hale, who expressed interest in purchasing a larger stake in the team once the news broke that the Grousbeck family was selling the team.

Projected as one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals this year, it will be interesting to see what the future holds as the new ownership group aims to keep the team competitive despite being up against the luxury tax aprons.