We’re just over a week relieved from the Boston Celtics’ Game 5 win to finally secure Banner 18. It was a goal that the organization had been chasing for 16 long years, nine of which featured Marcus Smart — the longtime fan favorite and All-Defensive guard.
Smart, who was traded last June in the deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics, spoke publicly for the first time since seeing his former team achieve their ultimate goal, when he appeared on Theo Pinson’s “Run Your Race” podcast.
His message was riddled with pride as he congratulated his former teammates on finishing the job.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
“Shoutout to Jaylen (Brown), Jayson (Tatum), and the Boston Celtics. Congratulations on the championship” Smart said. “They built that. They went through the mud. They didn’t skip any steps. I was there with them for nine years of my career and I seen it. It’s no coincidence that they reached their goal. I’m just so proud of them. I’m proud to have been able to be in the trenches with them, to know those guys, and to go to work with them every day when I had the chance to do it.”
Smart laughed with Pinson and added that he isn’t bitter or “salty” about Boston winning without him, despite what the general public may have thought.
“Man s—-, my wife will tell you I was screaming for those guys when they won it just as much as anybody else because I have love for those guys and I know the work that they put into it and I’ve been through it.”
“Shout out to Jaylen (Brown), Jayson (Tatum) and the Boston Celtics on the championship…I’m proud of them…I know everyone is expecting me to be salty.”
Marcus Smart talks about the Celtics’ Championship pic.twitter.com/qjLYZrbNFs
— Tidal League (@TidalLeague) June 25, 2024
From 2014-2023, Marcus appeared in 581 regular-season games and another 108 in the playoffs for the Cs. He was named to three All-Defensive First Teams and won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2022.
Smart was a polarizing player in the Celtics community. It seemed that fans either loved him or hated him, there wasn’t much in between. Regardless, there was no disputing that he gave the team everything that he had during his time here.
