Exclusive | LeBron James could end up a Celtics owner as Fenway Sports considers purchase: sources

There is a chance the Celtics and Red Sox may soon have the same owner.

Boston Red Sox Owner Fenway Sports Group and RedBird Capital that partner closely with LeBron James are seriously considering bidding for the Celtics, sources close to the situation said.

James, who still stars for the Lakers, could not be a part of Celtics ownership now, sources said.

But with the sale being a two-step process — where 49 percent of the team isn’t sold until 2028 — he could easily still end up being an owner of the Lakers’ hated rivals as the 39-year-old should be retired by that time.

The Celtics have just hired JPMorgan and BDT & MSD Partners to begin the sales process, as reported Thursday by Sportico.

Even though the team basically makes no money, the defending NBA champions are seeking a record $6 billion price, sources said.

Besides owning the Red Sox, Fenway also owns the NESN sports cable network.

Airing Celtics games on NESN would give the network a strong year-round offering though the Celts are now in the middle of a media deal with NBC Boston that doesn’t reportedly expire until 2038.

Fenway, RedBird Capital and LeBron are currently working on bringing an NBA franchise to Las Vegas which would include a new arena.

James, officially a billionaire since 2022, has made little secret that he would like to follow Michael Jordan’s path of owning a franchise (Jordan sold his controlling stake in the Charlotte Hornets in 2023) and in October teased about building one in Vegas.

If the consortium pivots to the Celtics in the coming weeks they would likely move on from the Las Vegas idea.

Fenway already owns the Red Sox, the Liverpool soccer team and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

There will be other suitors.

Long-time Celtics minority owner Stephen Pagliuca said last month he wants to bid for the the team. In 2017, he made a serious offer to buy the Nets but lost out to Joe Tsai, as The Post exclusively reported.

Pagliuca already owns about 20 percent of the Celtics and could roll over his stake and pay a smaller amount than rivals.

There are also rumors about the Kochs.

Julia Koch and her three children — David Jr., Mary Julia and John — acquired a 15-percent stake in the Nets at a $3.8 billion valuation in early June, as The Post exclusively reported.

However, the Celtics were unexpectedly put on the market weeks later after the team won its record 18th NBA title, perhaps leading to buyer’s remorse by the Kochs.

Boston Celtics selling owner Wyc Grousbeck met David Koch at a party in recent weeks sparking rumors, two sources said.

The family wants to own an NBA franchise and not just be minority partners, sources said.

They also want a team close to their New York City home.

Several NBA sources said they could see the Kochs, who are worth more than $60 billion, making a run. However, two sources close to the family said they are happy with the Brooklyn stake and are not interested.

Grousbeck is putting up 51% of the team for sale now and the remaining 49% around the time he resigns as the team’s governor in 2028, he said in a July 8 CNBC interview.

“This is going to be quite a bidding process,” he said. “We’re going to try to find the right buyer.”

The Celtics are well over the league’s salary cap and face a record-breaking luxury tax of $280 million heading into next season, NBA sources said.

After signing stars Jayson Tatum and Derrick White this offseason, the Celtics in 2025-26 are projected to have $513 million in combined salary and tax penalties.

That easily breaks the Golden State Warriors $388 million record for the combined costs from last season, ESPN reports.

The Celtics do not own TD Garden Arena so a new owner at least for some time would likely need to fund the financially struggling team, sources said, as the team makes no money from concerts and other arena events.

The NBA has seen franchise prices soar in the past few years, with Mat Ishbia paying a record $4 billion to acquire the Phoenix Suns in 2022.

Fenway and RedBird declined comment. James, who is currently playing for the US in the Olympics, could not be reached.