Now a basketball star in China, former Celtic Jared Sullinger still bleeds green

Jared Sullinger looked up into the raucous crowd and noticed a sight he’d seen countless of times before: an enthusiastic fan holding up his #7 Celtics jersey.

This time, however, it wasn’t 2015, and he wasn’t at TD Garden.

Instead, it was just a few weeks ago and Sullinger was starring in a Chinese Basketball Association game. And though he was donning his red Shenzhen Leopards jersey, many in the crowd still viewed him in Celtic green.

In fact, every time he sees a Sullinger jersey in the stands, the former 21st pick is reminded that though he’s far removed from his playing days in Boston, he remains a Celtic for life.

“The Celtics are a worldwide thing,” Sullinger told me in an exclusive interview last week. “It’s not just in Massachusetts or in the United States — it’s been everywhere I’ve played. I played a year in South Korea, then five or six years in China. Celtics Nation is everywhere.”

So, it might be no surprise that Sullinger — who played 258 games for Boston through four seasons — still says ‘we’ and ‘us’ when talking about the organization he describes as the one of the greatest-ever in the history of sports.

He’s confident the Celtics will bring home Banner #18 in June, and is pleased with the team’s offseason moves, albeit a bit emotional about the departure of his old teammate Marcus Smart, who he described as a “the guy who would bring that spark every single day.”

At least for now, Sullinger’s career in the NBA is over, but he’s reinvented himself overseas. In his five years in the CBA, he’s evolved into a wing scorer, averaging 24.4 points and 13.5 rebounds.

And in many ways, he credits his time in Boston for helping him become the person and player he is today.

Jared Sullinger bridged distinct eras of Celtics basketball

Sullinger, who starred on Celtics from 2012 to 2017, spanned two distinct Celtics eras. After two dominant years at Ohio State, he joined a storied roster led by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Doc Rivers.

“That team was, I don’t want to say a culture shock, but a culture shock,” Sullinger said. “You saw so many professionals be professionals. Everybody had their vice, everybody did what they did, but when it came down to practice, taking care of your body, having a routine to get you prepared for a game, practice, even a workout — we had a running joke in the locker room that they were androids.”

At the time, Sullinger didn’t think he needed to stick to the same meticulous routine the veterans adhered to, a mistake that proved detrimental to his NBA career. But, he enjoyed learning from Rivers, who he described as a “great coach who let his players lead the ship,” and loved being under Rondo’s wing, whose basketball IQ he praised.

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

That original team blew up after Sullinger’s rookie season, and four years later, he was a member of a very different squad, one that was headlined by rising star Isaiah Thomas, defensive menace Avery Bradley, and rookie coach Brad Stevens.

Sullinger named Thomas one of his favorite teammates ever: “There were times where I couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean, and Isaiah used to be like, ‘shoot the ball, just shoot the damn ball… I don’t care how many you missed. I’m gonna keep passing to you, so just shoot the damn ball.’ And when you have somebody of that caliber who trusts you — he was rising into stardom — you appreciate guys like that.”

In four seasons, Sullinger helped the Celtics make the playoffs three times. He started 171 of his 258 games, averaging 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds on 43.9% shooting. His best statistical season came in 2014; at one point, he was even named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

Sullinger’s Celtics tenure was unfortunately injury-riddled; he underwent season-ending back surgery his rookie year, and broke his foot in his third season. He left Boston for Toronto in 2016, but much to his frustration, once again broke his foot as a Raptor. All of it had become a bit too much. “I kind of lost my love for the game,” he said.

Sullinger, a completely transformed player, is now excelling in China.

Sullinger was traded to the Suns and immediately waived in 2017, and six months later, recognizing he was in the midst of his physical prime, made the move overseas. “It’s been great. Obviously, you know, the ultimate goal is to play in the NBA but, you know, things happen.”

He stopped in his tracks before changing course.

“Well, I can’t really say things happen. I kind of got myself out of the NBA due to a lack of commitment to my body. Now that I’m committed to my body, it’s totally different, but I’m 31, going to be 32 in March — it was a little too late. You’ve got young blood constantly coming into the NBA.”

Sullinger reminded me that during his five-year career in the league, he was a historically bad three-point shooter. He’s not wrong; his 27.2% career mark is the 10th worst three-point percentage in NBA history (among players with a minimum 500 attempts).

But in his last four years playing in China, he’s shot an efficient 40% from deep, while continue to assert himself as a rebounding machine. In 2017, Sullinger joined a shortlist of CBA players to have a 40-point, 30-rebound game. The improved output is no coincidence.

“I put a lot of work in the summertime on my body,” Sullinger said. “I put in a lot of work on my game.”

A return to the NBA is something Sullinger is still open to, but he knows time is of the essence and won’t waste any seasons waiting around.

“Once I put myself in China, it kind of ruined my NBA career because after that, everybody was like ‘we’re done with him’,” Sullinger said. “Honestly, I wouldn’t change it for the world, because I found myself as a human being.”

He said that many former NBA players struggle overseas; they go to China expecting to dominate, but quickly become frustrated when things are more difficult than expected. Domestic players, he said, often have a more favorable whistle, something that ex-NBA players have to get past in order to succeed.

“They just assume ‘I’m better than you’ — they don’t understand that you’re in a different league, you’re playing with different refs, under a little bit of different rules,” Sullinger said. “Sometimes these refs look at you like, ‘you’re a former NBA basketball player, you should be better than that person.’ So, there are some calls that you’re not going to get.”

He’s been able to overcome those hurdles and enjoy a revitalized playing career in a country that has long embraced the sport.

“The fans in China are great,” Sullinger said. “They love basketball around here, and playing for the Celtics for four years, I kind of have history with these guys.”

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The thirteen-hour time difference between Sullinger and his family and friends back home has provided him with the opportunity to grow on a personal level and do things like read, listen to podcasts, and learn about business and investment opportunities.

“The biggest thing is, I didn’t look at coming to China as a negative or a downgrade,” Sullinger said. “I looked at coming to China as an opportunity to better myself, both as a basketball player and a human being.”

Sullinger’s Celtics tenure shaped who he is today

Sullinger reflects fondly of his time in Boston; stepping onto the parquet each and every night was favorite part of being as a Celtic.

“You walk out there, there’s kids yelling your name, there’s adults yelling your name. It was something that I really, really enjoyed,” Sullinger said. “One of my favorite memories is every home game there was a fan — I wish I knew his name — he used to always yell out, ‘Sully!!’ I used to always just point up to him. He did that every single game, whether I dressed or didn’t dress, whether I got in or didn’t get in — he always yelled my name. That love and appreciation for what we did on the court was just unmatched.”

Despite his initial resistance, his Celtics teammates molded the off-court and on-court habits he now holds.

“All those things I saw in my first year, I’m doing them today,” Sullinger said. “I’m in the training room, getting treatment all the time, whether I’m hurt or not. It’s just about taking care of your body. Brandon Bass told me to stretch for 30 minutes a day — I do that every day now. KG [Kevin Garnett] told me I need to find a routine for practices and games, I have that now. I literally do the same thing every game day. No matter how many minutes I play, I do some conditioning — I got that from Paul [Pierce]. There’s a lot of things I’ve taken from those guys that I didn’t do when I was younger, because I felt like I didn’t need to, because I wasn’t at their age. But now, I do them constantly.”

Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Sullinger also briefly overlapped with Tayshaun Prince, who hammered home to him that even if he had an open jump shot, if he swung the ball or ran another pick-and-roll, he could often create an even better look for himself or a teammate.

“That has stuck with me to this day,” Sullinger said. “There’s times where I have a wide-open shot at the top of the key, and I see that there’s 16 seconds on the shot clock, and I’m like, ‘well, I can get a better one.’ Everything that Tayshaun Prince told me to do, I do to this day.”

Sullinger was a member of the 2013-2014 season Celtics team that finished 25-57 and stands as the only Celtics group to miss the playoffs since ‘07. Despite the mounting losses, the support from the fans was unwavering.

“The Boston community was so accepting of who we were,” Sullinger said. “Even in a losing season, they still were showing up to games. That just shows how loyal those fans are to the Boston Celtics. You got to just tip your hat off to these fans — they create that constant of it being a home environment.”

This year’s Celtics team is 14-0 at the Garden, and Sullinger predicts they will win it all.

“But I think that every year!” he said, laughing. “I told you — I bleed green. It’s a motto that we have, and it’s a motto that sticks with you.”

With his career overseas and three little kids in Ohio, Sullinger hasn’t yet had the chance to take up the offer that head coach Joe Mazzulla has extended to former players: to visit Boston and spend time around the team. But he plans on doing so as soon as he can.

He’s particularly eager to see Brad Stevens, who coached him for three years and also recruited him out of high school. “There’s always been a connection between me and Brad,” he said.

Sullinger was initially devastated by the decision to trade Marcus Smart, who he shared the court with for two seasons. “Great teammate, great guy. He never pointed the finger at anybody. He’s always gonna pick you up when you’re down.”

But, he’s sold on the Kristaps Porzingis acquisition. “We have a lob threat, a three-point shooter, and a rim protector,” he said. “And that changes everything for guys like JT and Jaylen Brown.”

He might be nearly 8,000 miles away, but if one thing is clear: Jared Sullinger, like so many other former players, is still a Celtic at heart.

“Once a Celtic, always a Celtic. Celtic Pride never leaves you,” Sullinger said. “I’m always thankful for the Celtics, and I’m always gonna bleed green. I always want them to win a championship, even if I’m not on the roster. It’s something that’s never going to leave me.”