Category: .Interviews

Kevin Garnett, tennis fan? The Boston Celtics great interviewed John McEnroe

Known for the intensity he brought to tennis courts around the world, the two in many ways are birds of a feather.

When you look at Hall of Fame Boston Celtics champion Kevin Garnett, “fan of tennis” is not the thing that readily pops into one’s mind. But the Banner 17 icon has been known to get into some surprising stuff in the past (ask him around about his “Making The Band” show addiction).

And as one of the more competitive sports out there, it probably ought to surprise less than it should that KG is a U.S. Open fan. So much so that on an episode of his Showtime Basketball “KG Certified” podcast, the Celtics legend had tennis superstar John McEnroe on for an interview.

McEnroe was known for the intensity he brought to tennis courts around the world, so the two are, in many ways, birds of a feather. After their talk, you might think that if McEnroe had had a stanchion to headbutt before games, they might have even more in common.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what the duo touched on in Garnett’s interview.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Celtics’ Jayson Tatum looks back on when the Los Angeles Lakers passed on him in the NBA draft

The Celtics star grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant and L.A.

Boston Celtics All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum grew up a fan of Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. He modeled his game on his future friend and mentor’s as he made his way to the NBA from the NCAA ranks at Duke.

But when it came time for the team he grew up dreaming about joining to make their pick on Tatum’s draft night arrived, the Lakers instead went with now-Chicago Bull Lonzo Ball. As did the Philadelphia 76ers, who traded their No. 3 pick and another first for the Celtics top pick.

“The Lakers were my favorite team, and Kobe was my favorite player,” said the St. Louis native in a recent interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Elizabeth Merrill. “So it was crazy that the Lakers had the second pick, and I was so close to a dream come true. But it was just like they didn’t want anything to do with me at the time.”

“After my workout (with Boston), I remember one of the (Celtics’) scouts came up to me and said, ‘That was a great workout. I’m excited for you. But we’ve got the No. 1 pick, so we’re not going to pick you,'” Tatum joked.

“He still works for the Celtics now, so I (expletive) with him all the time.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Paul Pierce revisits his, Jayson Tatum’s iconic Boston Celtics passing-of-the-torch moment

You know the moment, now hear the story.

Few players are more beloved to fans of the Boston Celtics than Hall of Fame small forward Paul Pierce. He once famously had a passing-of-the-torch moment with one of the most popular contemporary members of the Celtics, All-Star forward Jayson Tatum.

Tatum has a long way to go to match the career of a Celtics legend like The Truth or (in the video embedded below) his fellow Boston alumnus and Hall of Famer Cedric Maxwell. But the parallels and talent in the St. Louis native’s game are already evident, while continues to expand.

To hear Pierce talk about that iconic courtside exchange, check out said clip provided courtesy of CLNS Media’s “NBA History and Legends on CLNS” Instagram channel.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWRF7gqp7PF/?utm_medium=copy_link

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Scot Pollard and fellow Boston Celtics alum Kevin Garnett reportedly nearly fought on the 2008 title team

Given the personalities of both men on the Banner 17 squad, we are not surprised to hear about the kerfuffle in a recent interview.

We don’t want to think about who might win in a fight between Boston Celtics 2008 title team member Scot Pollard and Kevin Garnett. But, per Pollard, he and The Big Ticket nearly came to blows when they were teammates on the Celtics.

Given the very large personalities of both men on the Banner 17 squad, we are not too surprised to hear the Survivor alumnus tell us about the kerfuffle in a recent interview with the folks at Heavy on their “Celtics Collective” podcast. Then again, given their also-very large bodies, it’s probably for the best of the entire franchise that pitched disagreement did not turn into something worse.

To hear the full details of the narrowly avoided dust-up between Pollard and KG in the run-up to the title, take a look at the clip embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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‘We called him Bambi,’ says Scot Pollard of fellow Boston Celtics alum Paul Pierce’s time at Kansas

Pierce was especially thin in his NCAA days, it seems.

Many years before they linked up again on the Boston Celtics in pursuit of Banner 17, ex-Boston big man Scot Pollard and Hall of Fame wing Paul Pierce were teammates on the roster of the Kansas Jayhawks.

And while we think of The Truth today as a stone-cold killer with broad shoulders and an unstoppable will to get to the basket, in those days Pierce could have benefited from more muscle on his frame, according to Pollard. “We called him ‘Bambi’ because he was still so skinny, and he was all elbows and knees,” said the 2008 Celtics champion center.

Check out the clip embedded below to hear what Pollard had to share about their time together playing for Kansas long before Pierce was ever a Celtic.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PEZvHTJBjw4

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston Celtics alumnus Rasheed Wallace explains the origin of ‘Ball don’t lie!’

This is where Sheed’s famous line comes from.

Even before he joined the Boston Celtics, veteran big man Rasheed Wallace had made a name for himself as one of the NBA’s most vocal players when contesting calls with referees. So much so, he often led the league in technical fouls.

So it should not surprise anyone who knows the history of his game to learn about the most famous interjections Wallace deployed against refs when he believed a call against him or his teammates was an especially bad call, and where it came from. Sheed, as he was frequently called for short, yelled “Ball don’t lie!” with gusto any time such a sequence played out.

Where did it come from, and what did it mean? The veteran forward explained it in a recent clip put together by the folks at the Showtime Basketball YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YbNyqTNumCc

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Looking back on Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett’s time at Farragut Academy

Get to know KG’s formative years in this episode of his Showtime podcast.

We all know how The Big Ticket’s tenure with the Boston Celtics went. Kevin Garnett linked with fellow future Hall of Famers Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to win a title in 2008 and come close several times afterward.

Many Celtics fans may also recall his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves before he joined Boston’s roster. But what about the prep-to-pro phenom that most were unsure would make it at the NBA level due a frame and skill set that at the time were unique? On a recent episode of the Showtime “KG Certified” podcast, Garnett joins his former head coach from Farragut Academy, Wolf Nelson, and former teammate Ronnie Fields.

If you want some insight into a lesser-known era of the KG experience before he cut his teeth as the next big thing in the NBA, this is the video for you.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Jayson Tatum isn’t ruling out playing for Team USA in 2028 despite lack of playing time in Paris

“I (would have) to take time and think about that,” said Tatum.

The US National Team took home gold over Team France in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but it was far from a drama-free run to the top for the US National Team. And it was the shifting role of star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum that was a significant part of that drama.

But the DNPs handed to the NBA champion did not derail Team USA’s quest for gold — nor discourage the St. Louis native from playing for the US National Team again for the 2028 Olympics. At least, not yet, according to the man himself in a recent interview with ESPN senior writer Brian Windhorst. “It was a tough personal experience on the court, but I’m not going to make any decision off emotions,” said Tatum.

“If you asked me right now if I was going to play in 2028 — it is four years from now and I (would have) to take time and think about that,” he added. “So I’m not going to make any decision based off how this experience was or how I felt individually.”

“A lot of people text me and reached out and said, ‘Make sure this fuels you,’ which I appreciate,” explained Tatum. “There’s a lot of people that care about me … I think the tough part is yes, you can use things to fuel you, but I’m still human.” 

“(…) I’ve sacrificed and put a lot into this game and work really, really hard,” he noted. “So in the moment it is tough. You’re not necessarily worried about fueling me for November or (whenever) the season is … it’s something I’m going to take away from this and learn from this experience. It’s definitely challenging and humbling at the same time.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Payton Pritchard defends Jaylen Brown’s reaction to Team USA snub

The Boston Celtics guard defended his teammates reaction to missing out on Team USA.

Jaylen Brown has endured a difficult summer. The Boston Celtics star was omitted from Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He was then overlooked as the replacement for Kawhi Leonard, with Derrick White receiving a call-up instead. Brown was critical of the decision, taking to social media to share his thoughts. Stephen A. Smith also accused him of being “unmarketable.” Smith during the postseason.

In a recent appearance on the “Point Forward” podcast, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard defended Brown’s reaction, while also noting how the Celtics All-Star fits within Steve Kerr’s Team USA roster.

“I know certain people are like it’s undercutting his teammate, but I was kind of like hey man, let him speak his peiece,” Pritchard said regarding Brown’s Team USA drama. “I think, yeah, let him speak. I don’t think Derrick felt any type of way at all. I think we’re all brothers at the end of the day. When I saw it, not even having the consideration of putting him on was confusing to me. I think Jaylen is a top-level player. He fits everything they need. He can defend, play any role, and I think Jaylen would accept that.”

While there’s a fair debate on whether Brown should have handled the situation differently, there’s no denying that he could have been an important member of Team USA’s roster, regardless of what role he would have been tasked with playing.

Nevertheless, Brown will undoubtedly have spent his summer working on his game and improving his all-round skill set as he looks to help Boston challenge for back-to-back championships next season.

Subscribe to the “Celtics Chronicle” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SGM4MK

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4dBiNuJ

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3QnlPcS

Substack: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf

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Celtics team president Brad Stevens says winning a title doesn’t make you feel different

‘The route to work doesn’t change, the traffic doesn’t change, and the same things you need to … take care of at home don’t change,’ he added.

Winning a title had always been something that had eluded Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. When he was a high school and college player, he had personal success, but not matched by that of his teams. And as a coach, his near-misses with Butler (twice!) took that dynamic to a new level.

He got close as an NBA coach in Boston as well, but did not get to take on the mantle of champion until his Celtics won in 2024 with him as team president. Asked what he will take from that experience in a recent interview with the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, Stevens had plenty to say. “To me, it’s about the people and the journey,” he explained. “Having come close in college, obviously, and then a couple of years ago in the Finals, I’ve actually taken a lot of satisfaction that you don’t feel fulfilled.”

“You don’t feel any different,” said Stevens. “The route to work doesn’t change, the traffic doesn’t change, and the same things you need to make sure you take care of at home don’t change.”

“We’re going to have 50 million things we’re going to have to tackle and conquer together the next time we go through this,” said the Celtics president. “The only thing that probably changes is you have a bigger target. But I think that’s fun.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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