Mario Ho, the youngest offspring of the renowned late Macau casino magnate Stanley Ho, has officially joined the ownership group of the Boston Celtics, participating in a consortium that purchased the NBA team for a staggering $6.1 billion.

At just 30 years old, Ho, who heads the Nasdaq-listed esports company NIP Group, will now share a position on the Celtics’ management board with co-owners such as Aditya Mittal, Bruce Beal, Andrew Bialecki, Dom Ferrante, Rob Hale, Ian Loring, and current owner Wyc Grousbeck. The consortium is spearheaded by U.S. private equity executive William “Bill” Chisholm.

“I am grateful to Bill [Chisholm] for allowing me to be part of this consortium and this record-setting acquisition,” Ho expressed on his social media account. “As a dedicated Celtics supporter, I am committed to putting my all into this organization; the time for responsibilities has officially begun! This is truly one of the happiest moments of my life.”

The sale of the Celtics for $6.1 billion marked a new milestone for the largest transaction in U.S. sports history, as stated by the team; however, it was soon surpassed when billionaire Mark Walter acquired the Los Angeles Lakers for approximately $10 billion.

Ho, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate who married Chinese supermodel Ming Xi in 2019, was not part of his late father’s SJM Holdings casino enterprise. He gained recognition as one of the youngest founders of a Nasdaq-listed firm in Asia when NIP Group went public in 2024.

The Celtics, widely regarded as the most successful NBA team with 18 championships, were put on the market following their latest championship victory in 2024. This deal underscores the increasing connections between Asian interests and the NBA: Sands China struck a multi-year partnership with the NBA last year to host two preseason games each year in Macau, starting with the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns in October 2025.