Lakers’ Marcus Smart Sends Strong Message to Celtics Fans
The Los Angeles Lakers recently signed Marcus Smart, one of the most beloved figures in recent Boston Celtics history. Smart spent the first nine years of his career with the Celtics, establishing himself as one of the NBA’s top glue guys and winning a Defensive Player of the Year award.
However, during the summer of 2023, Boston traded Smart in a massive three-team deal that ultimately landed the Celtics Kristaps Porzingis, which, in turn, helped result in a championship.
Smart reached the finals once in Boston, but was unable to actually reach the pinnacle with the team that drafted him, and he even said that seeing the C’s win the championship last year was a bittersweet moment.
But now, the former No. 6 overall pick will be donning the uniform of the Celtics’ fiercest rivals, and Smart is already prepared for the fan reaction once he returns to TD Garden.
“I’m expecting boos. I’m expecting hate,” Smart said. “And that’s okay. I get it.”
It seems hard to imagine that any Boston fans would ever “hate” Smart. It’s also not like he spurned the Celtics in favor of the Lakers. He was a free agent, Los Angeles expressed interest, and he signed.
The 31-year-old is also not even remotely close to the same player he was during his prime years in Beantown, as injuries have sapped the once-great defender. In fact, Smart has played in a grand total of 54 games the past two seasons.
We’ll see if the Oklahoma State product can resurrect his career in Hollywood, and it will certainly be interesting to hear the reception he gets in his first game back in Boston as a Laker.
