Back in the summer of 2021, when Marcus Smart signed a contract extension with the Boston Celtics, his connection with the city was the first thing on his mind.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather play and no other fans I’d rather play in front of,” Smart said after signing the extension. “I love Boston, and Boston loves me.”
The bond between Smart and the city was unique. Boston genuinely cherished Smart, and reciprocally, Smart held an equal affection for the city – and although Smart no longer dons Celtic green, the bond between him and the city remains strong.
For the first time since being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies last June, the man often referred to as the “Heart and Soul” of the Celtics returned to TD Garden on Sunday evening.
“I ain’t been on this side,” Smart said with a smile as he walked towards the visitors’ locker room. “It’s a little different.”
Hellos and hugs from staffers greeted the former sixth overall pick by the Celtics as he made his way to the “smaller” visitors’ locker room. Shortly after, he walked down the hall to the home press conference room, where he reflected on his time in Boston.
“Boston is definitely a second home for me,” Smart said. "I spent a little bit over half of my life here, almost. I got here when I was 20. Now, I’m about to be turning 30 in March. So, whew -- I can go on all day about everything that I’ve experienced here. Just the way that Boston took me in. We all know playing in this city isn’t the easiest, and there are plenty of times where they let us know about it, especially me. But everything is always great here, and I speak for everybody, opposing teams and guys who have played here, that it’s nothing like playing in this place and playing in this city and with these fans.”
Just like they were when he signed the contract extension in the summer of 2021, the fans were on Smart’s mind when he took to the dias on Sunday evening.
“Thank you guys. I love you guys forever,” Smart said when discussing his message to the fans. “You guys will always be in my heart. Boston will always be in here. So, never forgotten. And thank you.”
When Smart emerged from the visitors’ tunnel roughly 20 minutes before game time, that love was relayed, as he received a roaring standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd. That was just the beginning of the love that would shower Smart.
After the first timeout in the opening quarter, the jumbotron displayed Smart’s old introductory starting lineup clip, before flipping to the footage of Adam Silver announcing the Celtics’ selection of Smart back in the 2014 NBA draft. The entire arena stood up. They knew what was coming.
The tribute video lasted nearly a minute and a half, consisting of all the iconic moments that cemented Smart as one of the most beloved players in recent Celtics history.
As Smart stood in front of the visitors’ bench, letting the cheers and memories soak in, Jayson Tatum encouraged the crowd to cheer louder.
After the video, Smart pumped his chest before raising his hand in salute to the crowd, to which fans responded with chants of, “We love Marcus!”
“Marcus Smart, he was the fan favorite,” Tatum said postgame.
“Everybody knew that. The way he played, he wore his heart on his sleeve, and every night, he gave it his all. We have some very smart fans, and they saw that. They appreciated that. So it was just really cool to see. [I’m] happy for him. I’m surprised he didn’t cry because that was special.”
However, those moments alone didn’t quite encapsulate Smart’s impact on Boston.
Upon being drafted, Smart spent his first day as a Boston Celtic visiting children battling pediatric cancer and other severe health conditions. Smart would visit the Boston Children’s Hospital regularly throughout his time in Boston to spend time with kids undergoing treatment.
Having experienced years of watching his brother Todd battle Leukemia during his youth in Texas, Smart also spearheaded the donation of mobile charging stations—dubbed ‘Smart Carts.’ These entertainment hubs were designed to provide a means of communication and diversion for patients during their treatment and recovery.
In 2017, he launched the YounGameChanger Foundation as a source of guidance, motivation, encouragement, and empowerment for inner-city student-athletes to be game changers on and off the court or field. The YounGameChanger Foundation also aims to provide inspiration and life-changing experiences to pediatric cancer patients and their families.
In honor of his unwavering efforts in the community throughout his time in Boston, Smart was recognized by the Celtics as a “Hero Among Us" in the second quarter.
“I pride myself on being more than just a basketball player,” Smart said. "And I think being here in the city of Boston has really opened that field for me to really show who I am as a person.”
The outpour of love never stopped, and every second of it was well-deserved. Fans remained in their seats well after the buzzer of a 40-point blowout win to ensure Smart got the recognition he was due.
Before exiting the court through a tunnel formed by the Celtics’ cheerleaders, Smart took a few more moments to salute and acknowledge the crowd as they chanted his name well after he had disappeared from public view.
That’s how special Smart is to Boston.
“One of the reasons why I came here initially in ’16 was Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart,” Al Horford admitted postgame.
“I had a lot of respect for Smart even when he was a very young player and just kind of how he cared about winning. He’s just a very special person and somebody that I really appreciated when he was here with us throughout the years. So, just seeing him tonight was nice. It was nice to catch up with him.”
Smart experienced a lot of success in Boston. The former Defensive Player of The Year reached the postseason in each of his nine seasons, featuring five Eastern Conference Finals appearances and a trip to the NBA Finals in 2022 – and while Smart still struggles to come to terms with the fact he never got a chance to finish what he started in Boston, it doesn’t change how proud he is ex-teammates.
“It’s amazing to see,” Smart said on Boston’s success this season. “It’s a special relationship I’ve built with these guys. I’ve seen these guys take a lot of criticism over the years. And I’m just happy for them to finally, you know, click and get it together because I had the pleasure of seeing it every day. You guys had the pleasure of only seeing it for a certain amount of time. And that’s on the basketball court. So I’m very ecstatic for those guys, and I’m happy for them.”
Smart mentioned he has no ill will towards anyone in the organization. In fact, he admitted that he himself would have made the three-team deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Boston. However, he did express one gripe he had with the trade.
“I understand business, and I understand this business. And I tell people to this day, if it was me, I would make the same business decision as well.”
“All I ask was that they could have given me a heads up or just a simple, ‘Hey, being here nine years, we just want to let you know this is what’s going on.’ Perfect. At the end of the day, I’m a businessman as well. So that’s what it was, [where] the hurt really came from. But, like I said, I was able to keep my mind off of it. There’s no ill will towards the organization, towards my teammates, towards the coaching staff. I love everybody. And I’m thankful to have had an opportunity to play with those guys.”
Although Smart never won a championship in Boston, there is something to be said about reaching five Eastern Conference Finals in seven years and the success he and the Celtics shared.
Smart embodied what it meant to be a Boston Celtic, leaving behind a lasting influence on the organization.
“Marcus [is] just a big competitor. What I saw from him was really saying things kind of how they were. And holding people accountable in different ways,” Horford said on Smart.
“Defensively, always trying to lead us. So, that influence is something that he brought to our group. The physicality, the emotion, the wit, defensively, anticipation, a lot of the times, things like that. And I think that we all benefited from it. And I feel like we all definitely have taken some of the things that he did defensively and kind of been able to turn in. He would always talk. I would always talk with him about defensive stuff, and I know Jaylen did as well. That influence has left its mark here.”
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