International law firm McDermott Will & Schulte represented Aditya Mittal and the trustees of the Mittal family trusts in the buying group led by William Chisholm to acquire the Boston Celtics (Celtics), a National Basketball Association (NBA) team. Aditya Mittal will serve as the Vice Chairman, Co-Owner and Alternative Governor of the Celtics.

Why it matters:

This $6.1 billion transaction is the largest sale of an American professional sports team in history, setting a new benchmark in sports valuations.

The Mittal family trusts are part of a syndicate of buyers led by William Chisholm, the founder of Symphony Technology Group, also included private equity firm Sixth Street Partners.

The Celtics hold a winning record against every other team in the league, a league-best total of 18 NBA championships, and the most recorded wins of any NBA team.

The cross-border McDermott team was led by Tom Conaghan, with substantial assistance from Greg Berson and Eric Cunningham. Mike Bruno, Hudson Todd, and Alex Jupp, provided cross-border tax advice. Allison Bernbach and Ted Laurenson provided US regulatory advice. Tommy McGee contributed to the M&A team effort.

Vlad Maly is the relationship partner for the Mittal family.

With the Celtics transaction, the McDermott Sports Team has now worked on the past three “record” deals in professional sports, including the acquisition of the Washington Commanders in 2023 ($6.05 billion) and the acquisition of the Phoenix Suns in 2022 ($4 billion).

About McDermott’s Sports Law Group

For more than 30 years, McDermott has represented owners, investors, players, teams, and sports venues around the world in various leagues – including the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer (MLS), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League, National Football League (NFL), and PGA TOUR – handling their most critical transactional and non-transactional matters. With legal experience ranging from individual investments in teams and the purchase and sale of franchises to solving critical tax, real estate, intellectual property, and labor law problems, our sports lawyers leverage top-tier M&A, tax, and private client talent to provide a problem-solving and client-focused approach to complicated sports law matters in the rapidly evolving sports world.

About McDermott’s Family Office Capital & Investment Strategies (FOCIS) Group

FOCIS is a multi-practice team that draws on the experience of our Private Client, Tax, and Transactional lawyers to provide creative and holistic solutions across all levels of a family wealth structure with respect to direct investing across all industries, including sports and entertainment. We take a comprehensive and multi-level approach to achieve enhanced economic returns through optimal planning for families, returns that might otherwise be lost when working with external advisors with a narrower lens.

Leading organizations turn to global law firm McDermott Will & Schulte for a better way to address legal challenges, connect with those at the forefront, and drive stronger outcomes. Working across more than 20 offices globally, our 1,750+ lawyers act on data-driven insights, deep relationships, and unmatched industry experience to deliver on our commitment of Always Better.