“The Celtics, it was their first spherical of patrons, they needed to reduce down their perspective patrons,” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Sunday. “4 or 5 folks made the primary spherical. One of many folks was the Eagles proprietor, Jeffrey Lurie, who is seemingly from Massachusetts. There’s been a few ‘Hmm, I’m wondering who these guys are?’ There are a pair I couldn’t work out however that’s one.”
That is fairly the plot twist, provided that the Eagles’ foe in Sunday’s contest is equally owned by a businessman with Philly ties. That will be Josh Harris, who has a stake in the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.
Lurie is beloved by Eagles followers and the Metropolis of Philadelphia for his immensely profitable tenure since buying the group for $195M again in 1994. The Eagles have made 19 playoff appearances in Lurie’s 31 years as owner, together with seven NFC Championship sport appearances, 4 Tremendous Bowl berths (together with 2024) and one Tremendous Bowl title (2017).
Regardless of these accolades, although, Lurie seems keen to sacrifice a few of his good standing in Philadelphia to buy one of many metropolis’s key sports activities rivals. It isn’t precisely information that may excite Eagles followers forward of their much-anticipated Tremendous Bowl rematch with the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
Regardless, this transaction would make sense for Lurie: He is a Boston native with ties to that space. And he’s an enormous Celtics followers, which might solely gas his need to buy the group.
However past the Boston ties, Lurie advised the media again in 2023 that he fashions his Eagles possession off of Celtics legendary coach and government Crimson Auerbach.
“Properly, I’ve at all times thought that the sports activities franchises that make selections based mostly on what they assume is correct, it’s by no means going to be the favored one in that case,” Lurie said via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I’m going again to Crimson Auerbach, as a result of to me, he made numerous selections that weren’t the favored selections within the headlines the following day in The Boston Globe nevertheless it was greatest for that franchise to proceed their dynasty.”
Lurie and the Celtics virtually looks like fait accompli. However luckily for Philadelphia sports activities followers, that actuality hasn’t arrived … but.
Additionally of observe is Lurie’s current sale of an 8% share of the Philadelphia Eagles, which he conducted in December for a whopping $664M. That transaction valued the group at over $8B, a determine that isn’t insignificant when contemplating the Celtics’ reported promoting worth.
