In an appearance on the ‘Run Your Race’ podcast, Celtics guard Marcus Smart set the record straight on his reaction to watching his former team, the Boston Celtics, win the NBA championship. Contrary to popular belief, he holds no grudges or ill will toward the newly crowned champions.
“It was great to see how those two games came in the way they came in and just dominated. Those guys, they came in and there was non-stopping what they started. Shout out to Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and the Boston Celtics, congratulations on the championship… they built that, they went through the mud. They didn’t skip any steps. I was with them for 9 years of my career and I have seen it. It’s no coincidence that they reached their goal now. I’m proud of them, I’m proud to be in the trenches with those guys and to know them. I know everyone is expecting me to be salty. There’s no hard feelings from me.”
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Drafted 6th overall in 2016, Smart joined the Celtics as a 20-year-old youngster straight out of Oklahoma State. After a relatively quiet rookie season, Smart broke out into an elite defensive guard and even won Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts three years ago.
Alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, Smart (30) played a crucial role during prosperous times for the Celtics and managed to make the Finals in 2022. But after the Celtics lost that series, and got bounced in the East Finals a season later, Smart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the deal that got them Kristaps Porzingis.
Smart was heartbroken by the trade at the time and he shared that he only found out it happened after seeing some posts on X (formerly known as Twitter). It was a bitter ending for Marcus Smart and his former team but the Celtics have been much better off without him in the lineup.
In their first season since the trade, the Celtics won the championship after going 64-18 in the regular season. Tatum and Brown have never looked better together and the supporting cast with Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White is arguably the best in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Marcus Smart averaged 30.3 minutes per game for a Grizzlies team that finished 13th in the West. It must be tough for Smart to go from contending for a title to contending for a lottery pick but he has few regrets over how things played out. With the Grizzlies healthy next season, Smart can prove his worth alongside Ja Morant and help make his team one to fear in the title race.
But even after watching his former team win the title a year after he left, Marcus Smart is staying positive and he’s not letting himself lose sight of the bigger picture. As happy as he may be for his friends and former teammates, Marcus has a new mission now and he will not rest until he joins Tatum and Brown as NBA champions.
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