Just a few weeks after signing a four-year, $45 million contract extension, Sam Hauser donned a white Maine Celtics T-shirt at a meet-and-greet at the North Shore Mall.
“It just reminds me kind of where it all started here in Boston,” Hauser said, gesturing at his shirt with a smile. “Or — I guess more in Maine.”
It wasn’t too long ago that Hauser was an undrafted free agent trying to figure out how to make it in the NBA. He signed a two-way deal with the Maine Celtics in 2021, hoping that that would serve as the beginning of an NBA career.
Needless to say, that turned out just fine.
Three years later, Hauser hit 11 three-pointers in five NBA Finals games en route to the Celtics’ 18th championship, emerging out of a brief postseason slump to shoot a scorching-hot 47.8% from three against the Mavericks.
Just two months removed from that storybook finish — on a quiet Wednesday evening at the Dynasty Sports in Peabody — Hauser got another opportunity to soak it all in.
Fans lined up to get their memorabilia signed by the championship team’s top sharpshooter, bringing with them a slew of items, including a miniature Larry O’Brien trophy and a 2024 championship banner.
“How about a 19th banner, Sam?” said one man in head-to-toe Celtics gear.
“Thank you for the championship,” said another, eagerly shaking Hauser’s hand.
That type of reverence and appreciation from Boston fans hasn’t gotten old.
“Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it,” Hauser said. “It’s kind of crazy, to be honest, pretty surreal. Just trying to be grateful, just make the most of it — obviously, you don’t know when opportunities like this are ever going to come around again.”
It’s certainly been an exciting couple of months for Sam Hauser. He enjoyed a storybook ending to his breakout 2024 season, and signed a contract extension with the Celtics just a few weeks after the parade.
The long-term deal to keep him in Boston was far from a sure thing in the eyes of the public — Hauser could have become a free agent next summer, and with the Celtics payroll rapidly increasing, it wasn’t clear that he would
Last month in Las Vegas, Celtics assistant coach D.J. MacLeay got emotional when asked about Hauser’s extension, saying it filled him with “immense joy.”
Sam Hauser said he it was cool to be able to sign with Boston long-term and that he looks forward to competing for another championship next year:
“Pretty special that they gave me an opportunity when no one else did, and I just tried to run with it. They believed in me.” https://t.co/eVVvC5WOSt pic.twitter.com/EEq628ukvX
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) August 14, 2024
Hauser smiled when asked about that moment, noting that he saw the video on Twitter.
“It’s really cool,” he said. “I just played for the love of the game, and this is sometimes just the benefit of that. Pretty special that they gave me an opportunity early on when nobody else did, and I just tried to run with it. They believed in me, and I’m just glad I could be here and be with this team and have another chance to win it all.”
Hauser’s far from the only Celtic who got their big payday this summer. Jayson Tatum signed his 5-year, $314 million supermax extension, while Derrick White signed a four-year, $126 million contract extension. Neemias Queta, Luke Kornet, and Xavier Tillman all signed minimum deals to return to Boston, and two-way players JD Davison and Drew Peterson signed to new two-ways as well. The only member from last year’s group that signed with another team is Svi Mykhailiuk, who recently signed a 4-year, $15 million contract with the Jazz.
“It’s pretty crazy that we were able to bring everyone back,” Hauser said. “Everybody wanted to be back and wanted to try to do this again. I’m glad the front office was able to make it work.”
Now, the team’s attention turns to next season. Hauser said that about 75% of fans at the meet-and-greet asked him about the pursuit of a championship in 2025.
“I think everybody’s pretty happy with how everybody is staying in Boston,” Hauser said. “We can compete again together for another year. Obviously, we have a lot to build off of. It’ll be fun.”
