From Aztecs to Hornets, the ferocity of Jaelen House knows no bounds

“That’s my m************ son! That’s my m************, boy!” yelled out Boston Celtics champion Eddie House as New Mexico punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years.

His son, Jaelen House, had led the Lobos to a Mountain West Conference championship with a 28-point showing against San Diego State. “I don’t expect nothing less but for him to show up when it’s time to show up,” House told Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal.

Four months later, Jaelen was donning the same colors his father once wore, as he got the opportunity to suit up for the Celtics in Summer League.

“I worked out with them in May, and they like me, or whatever, and then, they told me that they wanted to bring me in for Summer League,” House told CelticsBlog. “That’s kind of how it happened.”

When House was named to the Summer League roster, the connection between him and his father was the first thing fans sparked to. Winning in Boston means immortality. It was a natural connection.

But that’s not what got House to this point. Not even close.

“People think that I got here because of my dad. No, that’s not the case,” House emphasized. “I worked so hard for this moment, and I will continue to work hard for more moments that I end up getting.”

Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images

House is a decorated collegiate athlete. He began his career at his father’s Arizona State, but after two years, he transferred to New Mexico. That’s where he made his mark.

In three years as a Lobo, House made three All-MWC teams, two MWC All-Defensive teams, and was the Mountain West Conference Tournament MVP in 2024.

“I don’t cast a shadow,” Eddie said to Grammer. “He’s making his own. He’s in his own footsteps. His name is Jaelen House, and don’t forget it.”

House has made a home in the heads of his opponents, and it doesn’t stop on the court. Anyone from opposing players, coaches, or even fans are subject to the competitive fire that he relentlessly spews when on the hardwood.

After not playing in Boston’s first Summer League game, House checked in for a brief stint against the Los Angeles Lakers. He was only on the court for 3:14 and managed to pick up a technical foul. “I was just fired up,” he said. “Played good defense, and I wanted to let him know about it.”

That wasn’t enough for House.

He earned a ton of minutes over the course of the Celtics’ next three Summer League affairs, and his game against the Charlotte Hornets included some back-and-forths as well.

“I’m just a competitor,” House said. “Whenever somebody talks, I feel like I got to get the last laugh.”

Listed at just six feet tall, House never backs down from a challenge. Instead, he makes it his personal mission to light the court on fire whenever he checks into a game.

Whether it’s Lobos basketball or NBA Summer League, House’s intensity is a fundamental piece of his basketball persona. And it’s something that’s been a part of him for as long as he can remember.

“It’s always been that way,” said House. “I mean, I just love the game, so I always want to compete and do my best and just go out there and give 110% every time because, whenever people see that, and they’re like, ‘Oh, my goodness, this guy’s going hard.’ So, I just try to go out there and do that.

The Lakers and Hornets became the subjects of House’s competitive fire in Summer League, but in college, it was the Aztecs.

When House stepped into Viejas Arena, the home of San Diego State basketball, he carried the hate of every fan in the building on his shoulder.

And he loved every second of it.

“When the lights go on, he almost becomes like a performer,” New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino said. “He doesn’t mind—and you almost saw it last year in Viejas—turning into the villain, where some of us feel uncomfortable with that. He relishes it. He embraces it. It doesn’t affect him.”

House got into it with the fans at a game in San Diego during his second year with the Lobos. They were yelling back and forth, and he wanted to get in one last jab.

Even if it resulted in a technical foul.

“I just looked at the crowd. They kept talking crazy to me the whole night, so I just wanted to rub some in their face one time,” House told reporters post-game.

“[The ref] was saying that’s unsportsmanlike, but I don’t understand how fans can say whatever they want, and I can’t say anything back. I don’t understand that. But that’s just how the refs work.”

His rivalry with the Aztecs culminated in the MWC championship in his final year — the true last laugh. “I don’t like them, and they don’t like me,” he said after a win in January.

But House’s collegiate on-court vitriol extended far beyond the walls of Viejas. Though he only spent three years there, the entire Mountain West grew to hate him. And again, that was perfectly fine with House.

“Jaelen House is the most hated player of ten fn bases and gets the most hate during games of any player I’ve ever covered,” Grammer tweeted after New Mexico’s 83-82 win at Nevada in February. “He eggs it on, of course, but still 100 percent true… I’ve never heard the hate of a player like Jaelen gets. And he absolutely loves wearing the black hat.”

Pitino even compared him to a WWE heel. “I said to our staff, it’s like he’s like a wrestler in WWE,” he said. “He’s, like, relishing this. But that fuels him. He’s just got to get to that line and stop.”

House loved the hatred in the moment. He embraced it. And being the Mountain West’s top villain was nothing but bliss for the point guard.

“Yeah, I like when fans talk crap to me,” he said. “It kind of motivates me in a way. I already play with a chip on my shoulder, so just fans talking mess to me and saying bad things kind of gets me a little more fired up.”

Whether he’s translating his energy into scoring or the defense that landed him on two All-Conference Defensive Teams at New Mexico, House’s engine is never off.

“I kind of been doing it my whole life, so it’s not really something that I kind of carved out. It’s just like a habit now,” he said of his defense. “You know what I’m saying? Like, I go out there, and I don’t want the next man to score on me. I don’t like that stuff. So, I just go out there and play as hard as we can.”

The taunting and jawing are all part of the package. They make him who he is. Though he isn’t quick to share the details of his fiery interactions.

“Not that I can say on here,” House told CelticsBlog with a smile when asked for an example of his self-proclaimed “smack talk.”

Even Pitino had to get used to coaching the Lobo’s very own Tasmanian devil.

“I always think about the expression somebody said to me about coaching: You’d rather tone down a bronco than warm up a corpse,” said Pitino.

So, when House first joined the Summer League Celtics, the connection to his father was just, yet unfair.

It’s fun to see the son of a former player rocking the same threads as his dad. And for some lifelong Boston fans, it may make them feel a bit old.

“It’s great having a father that’s played in the NBA just in your corner,” House said. “He’s been through the same things that I’ve been through. College, NBA-level, or whatever. He’s been through not playing. He just tells me, ‘It’s business. ‘Just got to keep grinding.’”

But assuming House only got here because of connections could not be further from the truth. Jump to that conclusion, and you might just find yourself at the wrong end of a firecracker.

“I’d just say, ‘Just watch me play,’” House said. “That’s really all I could say. And then you tell me if you think that I got here because of my dad.”

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