Boston Celtics fans have a reputation for not exactly being the nicest group of people toward opposing players and Hassan Whiteside can attest to that. On the OG’s Show, Whiteside recounted how a 70-year-old Celtics fan savagely reacted to him suffering an eye injury.
“I got my retina scratched. I remember this vividly, like I’m holding my eye,” Whiteside said. “You can’t see when you get your retina scratched. All I heard was, ‘Stop acting like a b*tch and play the game!’ I look up, it’s a 70-year-old woman. I’m like, ‘What the f***?’ I looked up, I’m seeing red… I was like, man, this can’t be a real place.”
"I got my retina scratched… All I heard was 'stop acting like a bit*h and play the game', I look up and its a 70-year-old woman."
Hassan Whiteside with a HILARIOUS Celtics fan story 🤣
(via @theOGsShow)pic.twitter.com/p81H1ZUdLv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 3, 2024
That certainly wasn’t very nice, but I can’t say I am too shocked to hear that. It’s the kind of treatment that you probably should expect to get as an opposing player in Boston.
While Whiteside didn’t specify when this incident took place, I think it was in the game between the Celtics and the Miami Heat in TD Garden on Dec. 30, 2016. Jae Crowder had accidentally poked him in the right eye in that game and it led to him suffering a right retinal contusion.
Whiteside didn’t require any sort of surgery to repair the damage, but he did miss the next four games for the Heat. He claimed to have near-constant headaches after the incident for days and had double vision too.
Whiteside considered wearing goggles on his return to the court, as another eye poke would have probably led to him needing surgery but ultimately decided against it. Fortunately, it didn’t happen again.
As for that 2016-17 season as a whole, it was arguably Whiteside’s best in the NBA, from an individual standpoint. He averaged 17.0 points (career-high), 14.1 rebounds (career-high), 0.7 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game.
Whiteside won his only rebounding title that season and finished fifth in voting for DPOY. Despite his excellent displays, the Heat would go on to miss the playoffs with a 41-41 record.
Whiteside would spend two more productive seasons with the Heat, after which he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2019. He only lasted one season with the Trail Blazers and on his next pit stops with the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz as well.
The 2021-22 season with the Jazz would prove to be Whiteside’s last in the NBA. He spent some time playing overseas in Puerto Rico after that and retired from basketball in February 2024.
Jrue Holiday Kept It Real About Celtics Fans
Jrue Holiday gets a lot of love in Boston now after helping the Celtics win the NBA title in 2024, but that certainly wasn’t the case when he was an opposing player. When asked what it was like to play in Boston as a Milwaukee Bucks player, Holiday kept it real about Celtics fans.
“You know, it can be a little bit intimidating. Fans can really get crazy, really start to fight you and all that, but I’m glad I’m on this side now.”
It certainly would be a lot nicer to be on their side. Holiday is going to be on their side for quite some time too, after signing a four-year, $135 million extension with the Celtics last season. He and they now look to do what hasn’t been done in the NBA for quite some time, which is to defend the title.
The Celtics are the clear favorites as of now, but we said the same about the Denver Nuggets last year too and they were knocked out in the Western Conference Semifinals. It won’t be easy for them to go back-to-back.
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