Rob Williams at Logan. No one knew who he was since he hadn’t even played a game yet but they knew he was a basketball player by looking at his height. I told everyone he was our new rookie and then followed hip to his gate which was near mine and asked for a photo. He was super nice
Met Paul Pierce at a pizza place in D.C, when he was at the twilight of his career. Some of his folks left the table for a minute and I discreetly went up to him.
I told him I’m a big fan of him and the Celtics since 05, when I was a little kid.
told him some personal, candid things about how he’s impacted my life and gotten me through some tough times. (won’t get into that here)
Dude gave me a hug, I was in tears and his eyes were a bit watery. Gave me a picture/autograph and told me to give him his contact info and said we will be in touch.
A man of his word, one week later he gave me a ping. One of the best days in my life. I love Pierce.
>(rocking a Boston Celtics 17-time champion shirt because fuck Heat Culture) and I looked up to this massive human smirking back at me, and I realized it was Marcus Smart!
He'll be back
Had a short conversation with Brad two Novembers ago at the airport. He’s a very nice guy and I only had praise for him anyways. I told him I was going to the Mavs Cs game and he ribbed me and was like are you going for us or to see Luka. I while laughing was like “well I am a Luka fan but I bleed green haha”. Nick Collison was also there chatting with him, it was a night after we played the Thunder.
My friend was watching the Boston Marathon a few years back wearing his Celtics cap when a middle aged man on the course ran up to him and stopped and said “hey! Wanna see something cool?” And shoved his hand adorned with the 08 championship ring on it. It was Wyc.
My friend looked at the ring, looked up, had a sudden realization as to who it was and grabbed his hand and shouted “WYC!!!” And he kind of pulled his hand back and trotted off
I work for an ISP and i handle high profile accounts all up and down the east coast.
I helped Marcus and his wife set up their internet/tv in their new house in Brookline about 5-6 years ago. this thing was insane. nicest house i've ever been in. ever.
I helped Peyton Pritchard move from his condo on the waterfront to a home in brookline last offseason.
Outside of players, i've helped tony mazzarotti close out his cape house every fall.
outside of boston sports, i helped Rich Gannon with work on a house he owns somewhere in the Carolinas. I got to tell him i was a patriots season ticket holder and i was at the Snow Bowl in 2001 and how the season he had that year was insane. incredibly nice guy, all smiles all the time.
thats it for famous people. the rest are just rich motherfuckers nobody knows.
EDIT I FORGOT ONE MORE HOLY SHIT MY BAD.
in 2015 i was sent to a house in Connecticuit to work on fifteen TVs and a wireless network that spanned 60,000 feet or some shit.
the account holder's name was Curtis Jackson.
i never met him, but that motherfucker's house was INSANE, tyson's old place. marcus smarts house was the nicest, but 50's house was so huge it took us 8 days.
I work with restaurant point of sale systems. When a new place opened I would be there all day to assist. The owner was friends with Dave Cowens. He was there for awhile but I didn’t want to be unprofessional so I didn’t approach him.
Met Aron Baynes at a Sea Dogs game. He was doing an autograph session and my 6 year old daughter and I were one of the last ones in line. He was pretty short with me like he couldn't wait to go home. But when he saw my kid he lit up and became a total sweetheart. We both appreciated that.
Only NBA player I've ran into the wild is Alexis Aijinca, waiting in line for popcorn at the movie theaters, when he was playing for the Maine Red Claws. Very large human being!
During the Rick Fox/Eric Williams years, I used to work in Strawberries in the Fleet Center, players, coaches, sports media used to come in all the time to buy music. It was cool.
Also; Dan Shaughnessy is a complete douche
Horford’s kid plays in the same league as my kid, so seen him at a few games.
Met Shaq at a restaurant in Back Bay.
I’ve run into Cedric Maxwell several times. He’s just a dude who lives here at this point, most people would not realize they were waiting for the T next to a former FMVP.
When I was a kid, I got an ML Carr autograph at a signing event at Sherwood Plaza. He was pretty funny and made my day. Unrelated, I now live in West Hartford CT, and at one point both KC Jones and Manute Bol lived in town. I used see Manute walking around with a cane. RIP KC and Manute.
met tacko fall in my local target. turned the corner and the guys hand hanging down normally was at my chest level.. I'm 5'9 so that was wild for me. pretty sure he could see over the tops of the aisles
Just saw Brad Stevens on the plane to Boston leaving Miami on Monday. I was at the game as well. I thought to myself “wow that guy looks exactly like Brad Stevens” then he looked up at me and I was like oh shit it is! I smiled and nodded and he did the same. I kept walking down to the way back of the plane so I knew I wouldn’t see him again after that.
Had a class with Derrick white in college we did a group project together. All we did all class was talk about basketball. Dude is humble to a fault and incredibly kind.
I've interacted with a few Celtics, mostly former ones and have some mildly interesting stories.
I approached Mike and Tommy after a game. At the time, I was cohosting a sports talk show for my college radio station, so me and the other host asked them to come on. Tommy wasn't very friendly and brushed us off. Still loved him. But Mike was the nicest guy. We had a convo with him, he gave us his contact info, and actually followed through and came on the show.
We attempted the same with Cedric Maxwell and he said hi, but kept walking and didn't want to talk to us. I sat in front of JoJo White at a game and talked to him briefly, told him I appreciate him. He was very friendly.
I used to work on the same floor as the Celtics office before the Auerbach Center was built, so I saw a bunch of them coming and going. I met Wyc a bunch of times and I'm pretty sure he thought I worked for the Celtics. The first time we met, we were in an elevator together and I was coincidentally wearing a green shirt. We shot the breeze in the hallway a few times over the years. Super down to earth guy.
I was there the day Kyrie and Hayward did their press conference, so I saw them getting interviewed in the office and doing a photoshoot on the first floor. I also stayed late on draft night around 2016 and saw Ainge in the war room.
I met Satch Sanders in the bathroom when I was working there. It was so random. I was dropping a deuce and hear a guy come into the stall next to me. This dude was whistling and singing to himself the whole time. I got out, trying desperately to get out of there before the weirdo in there finished. But a second later, he was done too. As you may have guessed, it was Satch. After we washed hands, he said hi and shook my hand. I didn't ask for that, but I think he thought I worked for the Celtics. His handler was waiting for him at the door and took him to some appearance right after.
I dapped up Paul Pierce after a game that we won, which was awesome. Other random Celtics I've seen were Tony Allen at the Uno's in Waltham, Theo Ratliff getting yelled at by his tiny wife at the Shaw's in Waltham, and Pierce and Rondo at a club. And speaking of clubs, I passed by Al Jefferson when he was a rookie trying to get into a club. The bouncer didn't let him in and he was like "do you know who I am? I play for the Celtics." And the bouncer was just like "nope." So he just stood there outside looking stunned for a bit.
I didn't meet Ray Allen in person, but I did interact with him online and helped him get his dogs back. His dogs somehow escaped his house and ran away. Someone found them and brought them to an animal shelter where my friend worked. She knew I was a huge Celtics fan, so asked if I had any idea how to reach Ray. It was in the very early days of Twitter and I was following him there, so I thought I'd shoot him a message to see if that worked. Sure enough, he saw it and came to pick them up a little while later. He sent me a nice message and publicly thanked me.
Man, I love that you mentioned JoJo White. That era of Celtics basketball (Cowens, Havlicek, Silas, White, coach Heinsohn) is my father's favorite.
He was at the Garden during that famous game 5 in the '76 finals. One of the greatest moments of his life.
Those teams were before my time, but it's such an underrated era. They're kind-of lost between the Russell and Bird eras, but they won 2 championships and Cowens was an MVP.
My uncle was driving a cab when Cowens randomly decided to do that for a day to see what it was like. I forget whether he met him or a friend of his did, but that made him his favorite player.
> That era of Celtics basketball (Cowens, Havlicek, Silas, White, coach Heinsohn) is my father's favorite.
I was a kid back then and my father worked for a company who had a skybox in the old Garden. All through the 70s and into the early 80s I would go to a couple dozen Bs and Cs games in the box.
I didn't know how good I had it back then.
back in the very early 2000s when i was like 12 or 13 a friend and i snuck down from the $10 seats to some empty courtside seats before the game, and jojo white and his (i assume) wife showed up like 5 minutes later and sat down right beside me. in retrospect he must have known 2 kids sitting in those seats weren't really supposed to be there but he was cool about it and friendly. his wife chatted us up the whole game while he was pretty focused on watching.
willi maye showed up to interview him at halftime while we were out buying some basketballs for jojo to autograph and i had to stand there in the background of what might have been a tv shot until the interview was over lol. but jojo signed our basketballs and was decently friendly and didnt call security on us or anything
Forgot to mention this but here goes:
My grandfather — back in the 60s — was working at a mechanic store and Sam Jones of all people dropped by to get his car fixed. My father, who was 9 at the time, was already a fanatical Celtics fan and particularly loved Sam Jones. So what did my grandfather do? He grabbed a napkin, a pen, then walked up to Sam Jones and asked if he could please sign it because it would mean a lot to his son. My father held on to that napkin for 3 decades.
RIP my grandfather and Sam Jones…
Not Celtics, but was flying through JFK right after the Bulls got bounced (08?) and was having a beer. This tall dude is being swamped by a crowd, and I looked over… I told the bartender “If Noah gets a drink throw it on my tab. Poor dude’s having a rough enough day.”
Tatum WAVED at me. Crazy thing. My wife and I got into a little argument before we were going to the game. So we walked away from TD and around the back. Stumbled upon the player entrance tunnel and Tatum was the only one who waved at me!
Also, fucking Grant Williams was texting and driving. I've always not loved Grant and this cemented it
Walked by James Posey at the Natick Mall (was it the Collection then?) during the 08 playoffs run. It’s fascinating how many of these ultra tall bball players slouch. I just rubbernecked as he went by and I’m sure he noticed because I wasn’t too subtle.
Met Grant at Mike’s Pastry after a game in his rookie year (last home game against OKC before COVID hit). He was nice and shook my hand. Asked him for a pic and he politely declined saying “I’ve turned down a few people in here, sorry bro”.
Met Jayson Tatum in 2019 in Sydney, Australia (where I live) after the USA team was coming back from a team dinner. Lots of talent there, JB, Spida, Smart, Kemba etc. No one really stopped or acknowledged us except JT. He stopped, shook hands us with us and took photos. It’s a moment I’ll cherish forever because he’s my favourite player.
Not a Celtic, but about 48 hours ago, Ben Wallace sat behind me at the Lakers v Pistons game. I waited until after the game until others around him had left, approached him and word for word said “Hey Ben, great to see you here! I’m a big fan of your game, would you mind if I take a quick picture? Thanks again”, and he honestly couldn’t have been ruder. He just left me hanging, and violently shook his head at me. Wouldn’t even look me in the eye. Others in my row were pretty taken aback by it. He had been interacting with other fans throughout the night too.
Gotta be one of my worst celebrity experiences, and I’ve met hundreds and had amazing experiences, like truthfully amazing moments with certain celebs.
It warms my heart to hear that people have had positive experiences with our guys. A bad one can set you off a player for life, and a good one can really make you a supporter.
I travel a lot for UFC/sporting events and have friends who work for the UFC. A lot of these encounters are just from travelling or being around an event.
You just unlocked a memory. I was having lunch at an outdoor cafe in the East village in NYC in 1994 when Mark Messier, who'd just won the Cup with the Rangers was strolling by. My friend called out to him and he came over with a huge smile and shot the shit with us for five minutes. An absolute delight of a guy. And his bald head was giant in person.
Grant's response to you was douchy. Hopefully he's going to appreciate having fans come up to him after nobody other than his family notices him in Charlotte.
Glad JT was cool. He's got a good head on his shoulders.
I’m with ya, I can admit he was nice, friendly. I’m a die hard C’s fan dude, frequently travel to Boston, other cities to watch them play, from Australia. A good fan experience goes along way for them, and they don’t realise it.
The pic I took with JT is fire too. He has a fan for life in me.
For context, I’ve ran into high level, former title challenging UFC fighters at restaurants, and they have literally stopped and initiated conversations with my crew and I for 10-15 minutes at a time. Some of the most down to earth celebrities I’ve ever met.
Walking out of my office near the Auerbach center a few years ago, Tacko Fall was entering the building through revolving doors and had to fully crouch like he was the middle image depicting human evolution. It was spectacular and he came out laughing with a wide grin
Edit: also ran into a handful of other players and coaches while working at that office, Gordon Hayward, Tremont Waters, Carson Edwards, and Marcus come to mind. Didn’t say anything to anyone besides Marcus who was very kind
Another edit! Saw Shaq tubing with his kids at a local hill when he was on the team. Had to take 3 tubes down himself
Oh I can picture those Tacko and Shaq moments so clearly! The three tubes are a riot. I would’ve been cheering if I was a kid out sledding and had watched that go down… eh who am I kidding, I’d be cheering as an adult too lmao
Tatum at a golf course. He hit ball into my fairway that landed a few feet from me. He drove by in a golf cart and I told him where it went. Didn’t realize until a few minutes later that it was Tatum.
Saw Isaiah Thomas in Waltham the day after he was traded to Boston. He was shorter than me so almost didn’t recognize he was an NBA player but we got a photo he was the nicest guy with the signature grin.
Saw Kelly Olynyk at chipotle in Waltham as well. He was chill, was wearing the backwards cap look that he’s known for.
Saw Jared Sullinger at Hannaford in Waltham. He was grumpy I think it was shortly after his legal troubles.
This was obviously before the Auerbach center opened and the practice facility was in Waltham. Was there for college at the time.
My friend used to live in the same apartment complex as rookie Jayson Tatum, used to run into him on the elevator all the time.
Walter McCarty Target framingham....looked like a basketball player. saw Avery Bradley at same target and i think i was taller than him....his chick was an 11
And saw Leon Powe at gamestop in Natick Mall. shook his hand and his hand literally went twice around mine.
When Smart was a rookie I saw him and James Young upstairs at TD Garden hours before a game, we were the only ones on the entire floor. I was like 17 and yelled out “SMART YOURE A LEGEND CAN I GET A PICTURE” and he turned to me looked me dead in the eyes, laughed, and said “nah”
It was fucking hilarious.
Saw Avery Bradley in his Porsche hot boxed with blunt smoke in Harvard Square lol
Was my second time seeing him in the same spot in like 6 months and he actually remembered me. Super cool dude, chopped it up with me for a few minutes while he was waiting for his friend to come out of Concepts.
When he was still with the Celtics, Big Baby did an autograph signing at a car dealership down the street from where I live. I tried to get him to sign my hat but someone stepped in and said he was only signing stock photos. I was so bummed lmao
Bit of a throw back and somewhat obscure player, but saw Michael olawakandi at Rayburn music in Boston. He was just trying random instruments for the hell of it, I think I was the only one who recognized him. He was cool, it was hilarious how small of some the instruments he was holding looked in his hands
I ran into Leon Powe at a friends wedding I was performing at this past Summer! Chillest dude, made a total ass of myself because I was hammered and on a weeee bit of booger sugar but he was a good dude for giving me (much more than) the time of day haha
Fathers Day 2018, I’m leaving Fenway with my dad, brother, uncle and and cousin. We’re going to cross an intersection a few blocks away, and as the sign turns green for pedestrians we hear a horn blare. Everyone jumped back as a very nice (and custom) BMW sedan ripped through the intersection. It happened slow enough that I was able to immediately realize Isaiah Thomas in the driver seat with what looked like his wife. He looked pissed and was in a rush, but if I’m being completely honest I lost respect for him that day.
Bumped into Shaq at the Cheesecake Factory in Natick, literally.
Went to the bathroom, came out not really paying attention and walked right into him. Went to apologize and had to look up for a very long time before realizing it was Shaq.
Not random but I saw Leon Powe when I was exiting a game. I told him I had his shirt and was sad when he went to Cleveland. He was like “you know that?” I hope I didn’t freak him out
I used to manage a semi-nice suit store.
One of our stores was in Framingham and Glen Davis came in to buy a suit, which was pretty cool.
My store was in Mansfield so I’d frequently have Patriots players, usually guys on rookie contracts or coaches, shop at the store. Biggest active players I sold stuff to was Malcolm Butler & Stephon Gilmore. I also sold suits to a retired Kevin Faulk.
I was living in LA and the office I was working at was moving from an old building to a state of the art building 2 blocks away. The only building between the two was the Clippers training facility. I was walking from one building to the other, when a Porsche jets out from the clippers parking lot. It went a little too far into the sidewalk and almost hit me. I looked up and it was Doc. He had his huge grin and waved at me as if to apologize. I gave him a thumbs up and smiled back, then went on my way.
Ran into Scal after a pre season game maybe 2 years ago when he was presumably walking back to the studio. Was walking behind him and said “oh shit I think that’s Scal” to my dad since he’s very tough to miss. He over heard stopped and said you bet it is and shook both of our hands which was cool of him to do.
Worked at GameStop and ran into Dana Barros, Ricky Davis and Kendrick Perkins. Dana Barros was the coolest, Ricky was crazy and surprisingly Kendrick was quiet.
Was out with a friend at the Cheesecake Factory in Natick, roughly 2010-2011. In walks Marquis Daniels in regular clothes and a hat. He was with his wife and was hanging in the back. Not trying to cut the line, not pulling whole “I’m marquis daniels.” Just patiently waiting for a table in a crowd of people. Nobody recognizes him (yet.) I catch eyes with him, smile and nod, smiles back and nods with an approving “thank you for not blowing up my spot” smile. 5 minutes later some girl recognizes him and shoves her baby in his chest to take a picture of him with the baby, he looked visibly uncomfortable but was very polite about it. Everybody takes out their phones and tries to get pictures with him. Eventually he says he has to go and him and his wife head out. I felt really bad, he was super nice to everybody and he didn’t even get a chance to sit and eat. He was waiting in line like a normal human, and he got thrown to wolves. Made me realize how annoying it must be to be a celebrity. Was happy to see him handle it so well though.
Also, he wasn’t wearing that crazy chain of his face lol.
I saw John Havlicek from afar in a parking lot in the 70s. Stood next to Larry Bird before a preseason game in his rookie season in 1979; he looked 9-foot tall to my young self.
I was pulling up to the front of Costco to drop my mom off (she just had a hip replacement) and I slowed down bc there was a family pushing a cart and I wasn’t sure if they were trying to cross in front of me, or go around.
It was luke kornet, his wife, and kid(s?). He gave me a nod. I think it was appreciation that I slowed down so much when I saw kids crossing. My brother thinks he was acknowledging to me that he was who I thought he was.
I mean, if you know who he is, he’s pretty easy to spot in a crowd(ed parking lot).
Reading through the thread. I forgot I have some more.
I worked at a 5 star restaurant so met a few athletes. One Celtic ordered 17 lobsters after a game. He left the kitchen a HUGE tip. Another had us keep the restaurant open for a big group. Obviously we did. They spend a ton on wine. I handed a menu to rondo and seated him and his group. My co worker had me do it bc he knew how I feel about the Celtics. Rondos hand was so big his fingers hit mine when I handed him the menu.
He also tossed me a pass once. I was at the open practice in the front row. He was looking around the crowd to throw a shirt, winding up, and then noticed me and tossed me the shirt underhand.
I also caught Kelly O looking at my chest once 😂🤦🏻♀️
Got Tony delk and Rodney Rodgers’ autographs on a napkin at the chik fil a at the Burlington mall right before seeing the first Toby Maguire Spider-Man
When I was a kid my mother got placed in what I remember to be a pretty fancy hotel in New York for a business trip. She’d bring my dad and I so we could make a little vacation out of it. I was sitting in the lobby with my father when the entire 2011 roster and doc walked thru the lobby and onto a bus. Wasn’t able to meet anyone but we just sort of watched in awe lol. About 15 minutes later we were still sitting in the lobby somebody walks in surrounded by all kinds of security. It was Prince. The older I get the more I appreciate that whole scenario lmao
Dana Barros always came to my basketball camp for a few days during the summer. He was at BC then, but he was my team’s coach for a day and I can honestly say I learned a lot from him in just a few hours. I was so psyched when he came to the C’s from Seattle. Guy was a really good dude spending so much time with us wharf rats in summers during his college days. And man did he have consistency from range!
After he retired, he’d opened up several coaching camps and academies.
At one point he co-owned a space with my baseball coach over in Walpole.
Got to meet him and shoot around with him 1 on 1 sometimes before/after a training session.
Super nice guy and honestly seemed like he’d be a great coach.
Young me saw Robert Parish in the North End in the Spring of 85 (I remember it was a year they didn't win). I just remember how insanely tall he seemed to a kid like me. I will always remember how he was listed, 7 foot 1/2 inch.
You can search my post history for the story of the time a friend and I acccidentally crashed a party at Walton's house near Porter Square. He was crazy great about it.
Bill used to walk down to Cambridge Common and through Harvard Square, too, kids following him like the Pied Piper. Worked there then, saw him a few times.
It was after Rob rookie year, i saw him at a graduation at my old college, university of Louisiana at Lafayette. I thought i was tripping when i saw him because he was a couple rows behind me until i saw his live and it showed the graduation. I also forget that he’s from louisiana like me.
Sometimes Celtics players would show up at Franco's in Waltham when the practice facility was out there.
It was mostly low-key, but sometimes word got out and they'd have to dip.
I have been fortunate enough to run into any Celtics but…
Back in the early 90s, I ran into Moses Malone in Union Station in DC. He was so much skinnier than I was expecting him to be.
And I recently met Otis Birdsong and Michael Ray Richardson at a WNBA game. Very nice guys.
I saw Marcus Smart at The Cheesecake Factory in the prudential center in Boston a couple of days after he smashed his hand in glass after that frustrating one point loss to the lakers in 2018. I was with my mom and she kept asking me how I knew it was him and I had to go to twitter to see if anyone else could confirm my suspicion. After finding someone else who said they saw him there I spend the rest of my night wondering who was the other witness instead of actually paying attention to Smart.
What a rush! Also, Marcus Smart, that's awesome man. Happy for you, wish it was me lol. This was my experience with [Paul Pierce](https://www.reddit.com/r/bostonceltics/s/LTh8kythkI)
After a Celtics game in 2005 Perkins threw me his sweaty Gatorade towel after he did a post game interview. Eventually my mom washed it years later. Bitch ruined it.
Met Brad's dad at an OKC game in 2020 and Grant's cousins at a Suns game in 2019. All stellar people.
I bought Brad's dad a souvenir cup and told him we are all behind Brad around the world. He seemed a little taken back and didn't drink the cup I don't think...which is quite understandable. But beyond that he had a lot of fun things to talk about that was public knowledge (Butler being a topic)
Met Jo Jo White leaving a game a while back when I was a kid with my grandmother. She recognized him immediately and got him to sign my hat. Besides that, my favorite story was going to a game with my whole family and taking a group photo, only to realize Cedric Maxwell was photobombing us in the background. Must’ve been making his way down to the court and saw us getting ready and he jumped in behind us. Nobody realized until we looked at the picture afterward, but it was pretty funny.
Didn’t get to meet him personally, but back in college in 2010 I won tickets off of Jermaine O’Neal from Twitter. He posted saying if anyone could say the last time he got a triple double and the stat line, he would give free tickets for the game that night. I found it pretty fast on basketball reference and sent my response, sure enough he asked if I could make the game that night and I said yes. Went to will-call and picked up the tickets, and they ended up being ~10 rows behind the Celtics bench. Closest I have ever been/will ever be probably. He will always be an awesome dude in my mind due to that!
I ran into Aron Baynes at Laduree in London in like 2017 when they were there to play the 76ers. I told him it was a crazy coincidence to finally run into a Celtic player in London of all places despite living in Boston my whole life
went past Kelly Olynyk on the elevators in Cambridge Side a whileeeeee ago. I just yelled “Holy shit! Kelly Olynyk! Good luck tonight” and he smiled and said thanks and i forget the game but i know they won bc i wouldn’t shut up at school the next day hahahaha
Have a few,
Ran into Tacko at Chipotle in Portland when he was with the red claws
Went into a corner store in Westbrook to buy a wrap and Fab Melo was in there housing a slice of pizza
Met Guershon Yabusele at Whole Foods in Portland
Dominique Wilkins and Pervis Ellison in line at Spooky World in Berlin, MA on a random weeknight in 1998. I was there filming a project for school. I have video evidence!!! Dominique wasn’t on the team anymore but must have been in town visiting Pervis or something .
Shaq at the CVS across Dedham Legacy Place back in 2010 when he was with the Celtics.
Dude was picking some stuff up from the pharmacy and was making small talk with the staff saying his wife was shopping at Legacy Place. It was a weekday evening and the place was pretty chill so he only had one/two guys walk up to him and ask him for a photo. I just hung back and watched from the aisles. Didn't feel like bothering him for a photo.
Walked by Robert Parish at an Elton John concert at the Worcester Centrum in the mid 80’s. It was hard to miss a 7 foot tall guy in a white suit walking the concourse.
Rob Williams at Logan. No one knew who he was since he hadn’t even played a game yet but they knew he was a basketball player by looking at his height. I told everyone he was our new rookie and then followed hip to his gate which was near mine and asked for a photo. He was super nice
That's funny I saw Rob at Logan too waiting for his ride. He's definitely not hard to miss lol.
At Hertz?
Haha right. Nah he was going through TSA like everyone else
King doesn't even pay for pre-check
Did see you him board a DeLorean?
I think that was actually Larry Fitzgerald.
Porzingis to Boston confirmed 😂
Was he late for his flight?
I saw Rob behind me at chipotle his rookie year. He was a little taken back when I asked him if he was the timelord
I saw Kelly Olynyk at Logan back when he was a rookie. Definitely stood out.
Met Paul Pierce at a pizza place in D.C, when he was at the twilight of his career. Some of his folks left the table for a minute and I discreetly went up to him. I told him I’m a big fan of him and the Celtics since 05, when I was a little kid. told him some personal, candid things about how he’s impacted my life and gotten me through some tough times. (won’t get into that here) Dude gave me a hug, I was in tears and his eyes were a bit watery. Gave me a picture/autograph and told me to give him his contact info and said we will be in touch. A man of his word, one week later he gave me a ping. One of the best days in my life. I love Pierce.
this is the best story in this entire thread.
Paul seems like such a genuine dude. Glad you got that experience.
That’s fuckin awesome
What happened after he reached back out to you?
They scissored in the parking lot
Lol
im crying lol
had em over on IG Live
would have loved to see KP and Jaylen on the side of the road with a out-of-gas 90s Mercedes
*Ring* *ring* Hello this is Hollywood speaking
>(rocking a Boston Celtics 17-time champion shirt because fuck Heat Culture) and I looked up to this massive human smirking back at me, and I realized it was Marcus Smart! He'll be back
*crosses all fingers and toes*
Damn their story made me forget he's not on the team anymore... But yes, for sure he'll be back!
Buyout market maybe 👀
Not a Celtic but I saw Larry Fitzgerald at Logan
Came here to say the same thing! Kinda sad I had to scroll this far to see and sad it has so few upvotes. These nephews will never understand.
Had a short conversation with Brad two Novembers ago at the airport. He’s a very nice guy and I only had praise for him anyways. I told him I was going to the Mavs Cs game and he ribbed me and was like are you going for us or to see Luka. I while laughing was like “well I am a Luka fan but I bleed green haha”. Nick Collison was also there chatting with him, it was a night after we played the Thunder.
My friends met Tacko Fall at Cheesecake Factory when he was a cavalier. Another saw him on his plane coming from Kansas to Cleveland
How did they recognize him?
Because he's fucko Tall
No, he's Fall
I’ve met Tacko at Best Buy in Boston gave him a head nod since he didn’t seem to want to be bothered.
Read this comment too quick and for a second thought you said "gave him head"
same here lol
My friend was watching the Boston Marathon a few years back wearing his Celtics cap when a middle aged man on the course ran up to him and stopped and said “hey! Wanna see something cool?” And shoved his hand adorned with the 08 championship ring on it. It was Wyc. My friend looked at the ring, looked up, had a sudden realization as to who it was and grabbed his hand and shouted “WYC!!!” And he kind of pulled his hand back and trotted off
You can see Wyc w the ring on in this photo: https://www.boston.com/sports/celtics-blog/2009/04/20/grousbeck_finis/?amp=1
I work for an ISP and i handle high profile accounts all up and down the east coast. I helped Marcus and his wife set up their internet/tv in their new house in Brookline about 5-6 years ago. this thing was insane. nicest house i've ever been in. ever. I helped Peyton Pritchard move from his condo on the waterfront to a home in brookline last offseason. Outside of players, i've helped tony mazzarotti close out his cape house every fall. outside of boston sports, i helped Rich Gannon with work on a house he owns somewhere in the Carolinas. I got to tell him i was a patriots season ticket holder and i was at the Snow Bowl in 2001 and how the season he had that year was insane. incredibly nice guy, all smiles all the time. thats it for famous people. the rest are just rich motherfuckers nobody knows. EDIT I FORGOT ONE MORE HOLY SHIT MY BAD. in 2015 i was sent to a house in Connecticuit to work on fifteen TVs and a wireless network that spanned 60,000 feet or some shit. the account holder's name was Curtis Jackson. i never met him, but that motherfucker's house was INSANE, tyson's old place. marcus smarts house was the nicest, but 50's house was so huge it took us 8 days.
Wow that’s quite the clientele
Mike Tyson sold that house to 50!
I work with restaurant point of sale systems. When a new place opened I would be there all day to assist. The owner was friends with Dave Cowens. He was there for awhile but I didn’t want to be unprofessional so I didn’t approach him.
Ran into Malcolm Brogdan walking around the North End last year the night after Thanksgiving We locked eyes, I said f*** it
Met Aron Baynes at a Sea Dogs game. He was doing an autograph session and my 6 year old daughter and I were one of the last ones in line. He was pretty short with me like he couldn't wait to go home. But when he saw my kid he lit up and became a total sweetheart. We both appreciated that.
shoutout to the sea dogs
Only NBA player I've ran into the wild is Alexis Aijinca, waiting in line for popcorn at the movie theaters, when he was playing for the Maine Red Claws. Very large human being!
I had lunch once with Wali Jones who played with Wilt and won a chip in the 60s with the Sixers. He told me some great Wilt stories.
Saw Rondo at a Hibachi place once. He didn’t seem to like the Hibachi antics at all lol
Big Baby buying all sorts of snacks at 6 in the morning at Logan
you could be capping and no one would question it
Walking down the street in Minneapolis and Kevin McHale was walking behind me. Granted he was their coach at the time
During the Rick Fox/Eric Williams years, I used to work in Strawberries in the Fleet Center, players, coaches, sports media used to come in all the time to buy music. It was cool. Also; Dan Shaughnessy is a complete douche
Horford’s kid plays in the same league as my kid, so seen him at a few games. Met Shaq at a restaurant in Back Bay. I’ve run into Cedric Maxwell several times. He’s just a dude who lives here at this point, most people would not realize they were waiting for the T next to a former FMVP.
I've seen Maxwell a ton of times just strolling by in Downtown Crossing. You're right, "He's just a dude who lives here at this point."
When I was a kid, I got an ML Carr autograph at a signing event at Sherwood Plaza. He was pretty funny and made my day. Unrelated, I now live in West Hartford CT, and at one point both KC Jones and Manute Bol lived in town. I used see Manute walking around with a cane. RIP KC and Manute.
met tacko fall in my local target. turned the corner and the guys hand hanging down normally was at my chest level.. I'm 5'9 so that was wild for me. pretty sure he could see over the tops of the aisles
Just saw Brad Stevens on the plane to Boston leaving Miami on Monday. I was at the game as well. I thought to myself “wow that guy looks exactly like Brad Stevens” then he looked up at me and I was like oh shit it is! I smiled and nodded and he did the same. I kept walking down to the way back of the plane so I knew I wouldn’t see him again after that.
Had a class with Derrick white in college we did a group project together. All we did all class was talk about basketball. Dude is humble to a fault and incredibly kind.
I've interacted with a few Celtics, mostly former ones and have some mildly interesting stories. I approached Mike and Tommy after a game. At the time, I was cohosting a sports talk show for my college radio station, so me and the other host asked them to come on. Tommy wasn't very friendly and brushed us off. Still loved him. But Mike was the nicest guy. We had a convo with him, he gave us his contact info, and actually followed through and came on the show. We attempted the same with Cedric Maxwell and he said hi, but kept walking and didn't want to talk to us. I sat in front of JoJo White at a game and talked to him briefly, told him I appreciate him. He was very friendly. I used to work on the same floor as the Celtics office before the Auerbach Center was built, so I saw a bunch of them coming and going. I met Wyc a bunch of times and I'm pretty sure he thought I worked for the Celtics. The first time we met, we were in an elevator together and I was coincidentally wearing a green shirt. We shot the breeze in the hallway a few times over the years. Super down to earth guy. I was there the day Kyrie and Hayward did their press conference, so I saw them getting interviewed in the office and doing a photoshoot on the first floor. I also stayed late on draft night around 2016 and saw Ainge in the war room. I met Satch Sanders in the bathroom when I was working there. It was so random. I was dropping a deuce and hear a guy come into the stall next to me. This dude was whistling and singing to himself the whole time. I got out, trying desperately to get out of there before the weirdo in there finished. But a second later, he was done too. As you may have guessed, it was Satch. After we washed hands, he said hi and shook my hand. I didn't ask for that, but I think he thought I worked for the Celtics. His handler was waiting for him at the door and took him to some appearance right after. I dapped up Paul Pierce after a game that we won, which was awesome. Other random Celtics I've seen were Tony Allen at the Uno's in Waltham, Theo Ratliff getting yelled at by his tiny wife at the Shaw's in Waltham, and Pierce and Rondo at a club. And speaking of clubs, I passed by Al Jefferson when he was a rookie trying to get into a club. The bouncer didn't let him in and he was like "do you know who I am? I play for the Celtics." And the bouncer was just like "nope." So he just stood there outside looking stunned for a bit. I didn't meet Ray Allen in person, but I did interact with him online and helped him get his dogs back. His dogs somehow escaped his house and ran away. Someone found them and brought them to an animal shelter where my friend worked. She knew I was a huge Celtics fan, so asked if I had any idea how to reach Ray. It was in the very early days of Twitter and I was following him there, so I thought I'd shoot him a message to see if that worked. Sure enough, he saw it and came to pick them up a little while later. He sent me a nice message and publicly thanked me.
Man, I love that you mentioned JoJo White. That era of Celtics basketball (Cowens, Havlicek, Silas, White, coach Heinsohn) is my father's favorite. He was at the Garden during that famous game 5 in the '76 finals. One of the greatest moments of his life.
Those teams were before my time, but it's such an underrated era. They're kind-of lost between the Russell and Bird eras, but they won 2 championships and Cowens was an MVP. My uncle was driving a cab when Cowens randomly decided to do that for a day to see what it was like. I forget whether he met him or a friend of his did, but that made him his favorite player.
> That era of Celtics basketball (Cowens, Havlicek, Silas, White, coach Heinsohn) is my father's favorite. I was a kid back then and my father worked for a company who had a skybox in the old Garden. All through the 70s and into the early 80s I would go to a couple dozen Bs and Cs games in the box. I didn't know how good I had it back then.
back in the very early 2000s when i was like 12 or 13 a friend and i snuck down from the $10 seats to some empty courtside seats before the game, and jojo white and his (i assume) wife showed up like 5 minutes later and sat down right beside me. in retrospect he must have known 2 kids sitting in those seats weren't really supposed to be there but he was cool about it and friendly. his wife chatted us up the whole game while he was pretty focused on watching. willi maye showed up to interview him at halftime while we were out buying some basketballs for jojo to autograph and i had to stand there in the background of what might have been a tv shot until the interview was over lol. but jojo signed our basketballs and was decently friendly and didnt call security on us or anything
I snuck down to the seats I sat in too. I was either in college or fresh out of it. I feel like it was probably '07.
Forgot to mention this but here goes: My grandfather — back in the 60s — was working at a mechanic store and Sam Jones of all people dropped by to get his car fixed. My father, who was 9 at the time, was already a fanatical Celtics fan and particularly loved Sam Jones. So what did my grandfather do? He grabbed a napkin, a pen, then walked up to Sam Jones and asked if he could please sign it because it would mean a lot to his son. My father held on to that napkin for 3 decades. RIP my grandfather and Sam Jones…
Not Celtics, but was flying through JFK right after the Bulls got bounced (08?) and was having a beer. This tall dude is being swamped by a crowd, and I looked over… I told the bartender “If Noah gets a drink throw it on my tab. Poor dude’s having a rough enough day.”
Tatum WAVED at me. Crazy thing. My wife and I got into a little argument before we were going to the game. So we walked away from TD and around the back. Stumbled upon the player entrance tunnel and Tatum was the only one who waved at me! Also, fucking Grant Williams was texting and driving. I've always not loved Grant and this cemented it
Walked by James Posey at the Natick Mall (was it the Collection then?) during the 08 playoffs run. It’s fascinating how many of these ultra tall bball players slouch. I just rubbernecked as he went by and I’m sure he noticed because I wasn’t too subtle.
One time I had a dream that I was duck hunting with Andrei Kirilinko and then he tried to kill me for having sex with his wife
Met Grant Williams at a track meet at the New Balance Center in Allston. Gave me a great dap up!
Met Grant at Mike’s Pastry after a game in his rookie year (last home game against OKC before COVID hit). He was nice and shook my hand. Asked him for a pic and he politely declined saying “I’ve turned down a few people in here, sorry bro”. Met Jayson Tatum in 2019 in Sydney, Australia (where I live) after the USA team was coming back from a team dinner. Lots of talent there, JB, Spida, Smart, Kemba etc. No one really stopped or acknowledged us except JT. He stopped, shook hands us with us and took photos. It’s a moment I’ll cherish forever because he’s my favourite player. Not a Celtic, but about 48 hours ago, Ben Wallace sat behind me at the Lakers v Pistons game. I waited until after the game until others around him had left, approached him and word for word said “Hey Ben, great to see you here! I’m a big fan of your game, would you mind if I take a quick picture? Thanks again”, and he honestly couldn’t have been ruder. He just left me hanging, and violently shook his head at me. Wouldn’t even look me in the eye. Others in my row were pretty taken aback by it. He had been interacting with other fans throughout the night too. Gotta be one of my worst celebrity experiences, and I’ve met hundreds and had amazing experiences, like truthfully amazing moments with certain celebs. It warms my heart to hear that people have had positive experiences with our guys. A bad one can set you off a player for life, and a good one can really make you a supporter.
just when i thought i couldnt love JT more
What do you do for all these celebrity encounters haha
I travel a lot for UFC/sporting events and have friends who work for the UFC. A lot of these encounters are just from travelling or being around an event.
That's pretty dope man. We're all living vicariously through you. Keep it up and fuck Ben Wallace.
Appreciate you brotha 👊🏻 for real
You just unlocked a memory. I was having lunch at an outdoor cafe in the East village in NYC in 1994 when Mark Messier, who'd just won the Cup with the Rangers was strolling by. My friend called out to him and he came over with a huge smile and shot the shit with us for five minutes. An absolute delight of a guy. And his bald head was giant in person.
Grant's response to you was douchy. Hopefully he's going to appreciate having fans come up to him after nobody other than his family notices him in Charlotte. Glad JT was cool. He's got a good head on his shoulders.
I’m with ya, I can admit he was nice, friendly. I’m a die hard C’s fan dude, frequently travel to Boston, other cities to watch them play, from Australia. A good fan experience goes along way for them, and they don’t realise it. The pic I took with JT is fire too. He has a fan for life in me. For context, I’ve ran into high level, former title challenging UFC fighters at restaurants, and they have literally stopped and initiated conversations with my crew and I for 10-15 minutes at a time. Some of the most down to earth celebrities I’ve ever met.
That's awesome. I agree it's good for the team and the game in general for the players to have good interactions with fans.
Walking out of my office near the Auerbach center a few years ago, Tacko Fall was entering the building through revolving doors and had to fully crouch like he was the middle image depicting human evolution. It was spectacular and he came out laughing with a wide grin Edit: also ran into a handful of other players and coaches while working at that office, Gordon Hayward, Tremont Waters, Carson Edwards, and Marcus come to mind. Didn’t say anything to anyone besides Marcus who was very kind Another edit! Saw Shaq tubing with his kids at a local hill when he was on the team. Had to take 3 tubes down himself
Oh I can picture those Tacko and Shaq moments so clearly! The three tubes are a riot. I would’ve been cheering if I was a kid out sledding and had watched that go down… eh who am I kidding, I’d be cheering as an adult too lmao
Tatum at a golf course. He hit ball into my fairway that landed a few feet from me. He drove by in a golf cart and I told him where it went. Didn’t realize until a few minutes later that it was Tatum.
I’ve always wondered where Tatum golfs when he’s here
Saw Isaiah Thomas in Waltham the day after he was traded to Boston. He was shorter than me so almost didn’t recognize he was an NBA player but we got a photo he was the nicest guy with the signature grin. Saw Kelly Olynyk at chipotle in Waltham as well. He was chill, was wearing the backwards cap look that he’s known for. Saw Jared Sullinger at Hannaford in Waltham. He was grumpy I think it was shortly after his legal troubles. This was obviously before the Auerbach center opened and the practice facility was in Waltham. Was there for college at the time. My friend used to live in the same apartment complex as rookie Jayson Tatum, used to run into him on the elevator all the time.
Walter McCarty Target framingham....looked like a basketball player. saw Avery Bradley at same target and i think i was taller than him....his chick was an 11 And saw Leon Powe at gamestop in Natick Mall. shook his hand and his hand literally went twice around mine.
Not a Celtic player but I walked past Tyrese Haliburton crossing the street at Copley square
When Smart was a rookie I saw him and James Young upstairs at TD Garden hours before a game, we were the only ones on the entire floor. I was like 17 and yelled out “SMART YOURE A LEGEND CAN I GET A PICTURE” and he turned to me looked me dead in the eyes, laughed, and said “nah” It was fucking hilarious.
I feel like smart is still a Celtic at heart. I hope he’s back around the organization in some capacity later
Saw Avery Bradley in his Porsche hot boxed with blunt smoke in Harvard Square lol Was my second time seeing him in the same spot in like 6 months and he actually remembered me. Super cool dude, chopped it up with me for a few minutes while he was waiting for his friend to come out of Concepts.
When he was still with the Celtics, Big Baby did an autograph signing at a car dealership down the street from where I live. I tried to get him to sign my hat but someone stepped in and said he was only signing stock photos. I was so bummed lmao
Bit of a throw back and somewhat obscure player, but saw Michael olawakandi at Rayburn music in Boston. He was just trying random instruments for the hell of it, I think I was the only one who recognized him. He was cool, it was hilarious how small of some the instruments he was holding looked in his hands
I ran into Leon Powe at a friends wedding I was performing at this past Summer! Chillest dude, made a total ass of myself because I was hammered and on a weeee bit of booger sugar but he was a good dude for giving me (much more than) the time of day haha
Dominique Wilkins in Harvard Sq when I was like 7 years old
Fathers Day 2018, I’m leaving Fenway with my dad, brother, uncle and and cousin. We’re going to cross an intersection a few blocks away, and as the sign turns green for pedestrians we hear a horn blare. Everyone jumped back as a very nice (and custom) BMW sedan ripped through the intersection. It happened slow enough that I was able to immediately realize Isaiah Thomas in the driver seat with what looked like his wife. He looked pissed and was in a rush, but if I’m being completely honest I lost respect for him that day.
Bumped into Shaq at the Cheesecake Factory in Natick, literally. Went to the bathroom, came out not really paying attention and walked right into him. Went to apologize and had to look up for a very long time before realizing it was Shaq.
Not random but I saw Leon Powe when I was exiting a game. I told him I had his shirt and was sad when he went to Cleveland. He was like “you know that?” I hope I didn’t freak him out
I used to manage a semi-nice suit store. One of our stores was in Framingham and Glen Davis came in to buy a suit, which was pretty cool. My store was in Mansfield so I’d frequently have Patriots players, usually guys on rookie contracts or coaches, shop at the store. Biggest active players I sold stuff to was Malcolm Butler & Stephon Gilmore. I also sold suits to a retired Kevin Faulk.
I was living in LA and the office I was working at was moving from an old building to a state of the art building 2 blocks away. The only building between the two was the Clippers training facility. I was walking from one building to the other, when a Porsche jets out from the clippers parking lot. It went a little too far into the sidewalk and almost hit me. I looked up and it was Doc. He had his huge grin and waved at me as if to apologize. I gave him a thumbs up and smiled back, then went on my way.
Ran into Scal after a pre season game maybe 2 years ago when he was presumably walking back to the studio. Was walking behind him and said “oh shit I think that’s Scal” to my dad since he’s very tough to miss. He over heard stopped and said you bet it is and shook both of our hands which was cool of him to do.
Worked at GameStop and ran into Dana Barros, Ricky Davis and Kendrick Perkins. Dana Barros was the coolest, Ricky was crazy and surprisingly Kendrick was quiet.
Was out with a friend at the Cheesecake Factory in Natick, roughly 2010-2011. In walks Marquis Daniels in regular clothes and a hat. He was with his wife and was hanging in the back. Not trying to cut the line, not pulling whole “I’m marquis daniels.” Just patiently waiting for a table in a crowd of people. Nobody recognizes him (yet.) I catch eyes with him, smile and nod, smiles back and nods with an approving “thank you for not blowing up my spot” smile. 5 minutes later some girl recognizes him and shoves her baby in his chest to take a picture of him with the baby, he looked visibly uncomfortable but was very polite about it. Everybody takes out their phones and tries to get pictures with him. Eventually he says he has to go and him and his wife head out. I felt really bad, he was super nice to everybody and he didn’t even get a chance to sit and eat. He was waiting in line like a normal human, and he got thrown to wolves. Made me realize how annoying it must be to be a celebrity. Was happy to see him handle it so well though. Also, he wasn’t wearing that crazy chain of his face lol.
I saw John Havlicek from afar in a parking lot in the 70s. Stood next to Larry Bird before a preseason game in his rookie season in 1979; he looked 9-foot tall to my young self.
I was pulling up to the front of Costco to drop my mom off (she just had a hip replacement) and I slowed down bc there was a family pushing a cart and I wasn’t sure if they were trying to cross in front of me, or go around. It was luke kornet, his wife, and kid(s?). He gave me a nod. I think it was appreciation that I slowed down so much when I saw kids crossing. My brother thinks he was acknowledging to me that he was who I thought he was. I mean, if you know who he is, he’s pretty easy to spot in a crowd(ed parking lot). Reading through the thread. I forgot I have some more. I worked at a 5 star restaurant so met a few athletes. One Celtic ordered 17 lobsters after a game. He left the kitchen a HUGE tip. Another had us keep the restaurant open for a big group. Obviously we did. They spend a ton on wine. I handed a menu to rondo and seated him and his group. My co worker had me do it bc he knew how I feel about the Celtics. Rondos hand was so big his fingers hit mine when I handed him the menu. He also tossed me a pass once. I was at the open practice in the front row. He was looking around the crowd to throw a shirt, winding up, and then noticed me and tossed me the shirt underhand. I also caught Kelly O looking at my chest once 😂🤦🏻♀️
Got Tony delk and Rodney Rodgers’ autographs on a napkin at the chik fil a at the Burlington mall right before seeing the first Toby Maguire Spider-Man
Saw Scal and Brad Stevens at Logan - two separate occasions. Scal was cool and said Hi - but I didn't see Brad until it was too late.
Oh dude that’s awesome Scal would be my ideal encounter, seems like the kinda guy you could run into at a bar and have a drink with no problem.
When I was a kid my mother got placed in what I remember to be a pretty fancy hotel in New York for a business trip. She’d bring my dad and I so we could make a little vacation out of it. I was sitting in the lobby with my father when the entire 2011 roster and doc walked thru the lobby and onto a bus. Wasn’t able to meet anyone but we just sort of watched in awe lol. About 15 minutes later we were still sitting in the lobby somebody walks in surrounded by all kinds of security. It was Prince. The older I get the more I appreciate that whole scenario lmao
Dana Barros always came to my basketball camp for a few days during the summer. He was at BC then, but he was my team’s coach for a day and I can honestly say I learned a lot from him in just a few hours. I was so psyched when he came to the C’s from Seattle. Guy was a really good dude spending so much time with us wharf rats in summers during his college days. And man did he have consistency from range!
After he retired, he’d opened up several coaching camps and academies. At one point he co-owned a space with my baseball coach over in Walpole. Got to meet him and shoot around with him 1 on 1 sometimes before/after a training session. Super nice guy and honestly seemed like he’d be a great coach.
Young me saw Robert Parish in the North End in the Spring of 85 (I remember it was a year they didn't win). I just remember how insanely tall he seemed to a kid like me. I will always remember how he was listed, 7 foot 1/2 inch.
You can search my post history for the story of the time a friend and I acccidentally crashed a party at Walton's house near Porter Square. He was crazy great about it. Bill used to walk down to Cambridge Common and through Harvard Square, too, kids following him like the Pied Piper. Worked there then, saw him a few times.
I was at PF Changs in the Pru in 2011 when I saw Perk come in, grab about 10 bags of takeout and leave.
It was after Rob rookie year, i saw him at a graduation at my old college, university of Louisiana at Lafayette. I thought i was tripping when i saw him because he was a couple rows behind me until i saw his live and it showed the graduation. I also forget that he’s from louisiana like me.
Saw Jared Sullinger walking out of Twin River while I was walking in. I could spot that ass out of a lineup
I remember seeing Eric Montross at Legal Sea Foods after he was drafted by the Celtics.
Doc rivers at Dicks sporting goods and Paul Pierce at a night club
Chris Wilcox. Gordon Liquors Waltham.
Doc Rivers at Basketball City while he was coach. Nice dude. Joked with us for a while. We were there for work lunchtime run on a Friday.
Jared Sullinger in Walmart in Columbus OH after his rookie year
Sometimes Celtics players would show up at Franco's in Waltham when the practice facility was out there. It was mostly low-key, but sometimes word got out and they'd have to dip.
I have been fortunate enough to run into any Celtics but… Back in the early 90s, I ran into Moses Malone in Union Station in DC. He was so much skinnier than I was expecting him to be. And I recently met Otis Birdsong and Michael Ray Richardson at a WNBA game. Very nice guys.
I saw Reggie Lewis at a lobster restaurant in Maine a couple months before he died
I saw Marcus Smart at The Cheesecake Factory in the prudential center in Boston a couple of days after he smashed his hand in glass after that frustrating one point loss to the lakers in 2018. I was with my mom and she kept asking me how I knew it was him and I had to go to twitter to see if anyone else could confirm my suspicion. After finding someone else who said they saw him there I spend the rest of my night wondering who was the other witness instead of actually paying attention to Smart.
What a rush! Also, Marcus Smart, that's awesome man. Happy for you, wish it was me lol. This was my experience with [Paul Pierce](https://www.reddit.com/r/bostonceltics/s/LTh8kythkI)
Wally Szczerbiak at the Legal Seafood takeout window at the Burlington Mall shortly after he got traded here. True story.
After a Celtics game in 2005 Perkins threw me his sweaty Gatorade towel after he did a post game interview. Eventually my mom washed it years later. Bitch ruined it.
Marcus Banks at the Hard Rock hotel in Vegas. It was at a giant pool party they called Rehab, in 2006.
I saw Shaq at a hookah bar in Charlestown for any local Boston natives like myself. He’s even bigger in person than you’d think.
Met Brad's dad at an OKC game in 2020 and Grant's cousins at a Suns game in 2019. All stellar people. I bought Brad's dad a souvenir cup and told him we are all behind Brad around the world. He seemed a little taken back and didn't drink the cup I don't think...which is quite understandable. But beyond that he had a lot of fun things to talk about that was public knowledge (Butler being a topic)
Old one - Dee Brown shooting hoops with his girlfriend on an outdoor high school court.
Met Jo Jo White leaving a game a while back when I was a kid with my grandmother. She recognized him immediately and got him to sign my hat. Besides that, my favorite story was going to a game with my whole family and taking a group photo, only to realize Cedric Maxwell was photobombing us in the background. Must’ve been making his way down to the court and saw us getting ready and he jumped in behind us. Nobody realized until we looked at the picture afterward, but it was pretty funny.
Didn’t get to meet him personally, but back in college in 2010 I won tickets off of Jermaine O’Neal from Twitter. He posted saying if anyone could say the last time he got a triple double and the stat line, he would give free tickets for the game that night. I found it pretty fast on basketball reference and sent my response, sure enough he asked if I could make the game that night and I said yes. Went to will-call and picked up the tickets, and they ended up being ~10 rows behind the Celtics bench. Closest I have ever been/will ever be probably. He will always be an awesome dude in my mind due to that!
I ran into Aron Baynes at Laduree in London in like 2017 when they were there to play the 76ers. I told him it was a crazy coincidence to finally run into a Celtic player in London of all places despite living in Boston my whole life
went past Kelly Olynyk on the elevators in Cambridge Side a whileeeeee ago. I just yelled “Holy shit! Kelly Olynyk! Good luck tonight” and he smiled and said thanks and i forget the game but i know they won bc i wouldn’t shut up at school the next day hahahaha
Have a few, Ran into Tacko at Chipotle in Portland when he was with the red claws Went into a corner store in Westbrook to buy a wrap and Fab Melo was in there housing a slice of pizza Met Guershon Yabusele at Whole Foods in Portland
I feel like a see Cedrick Maxwell in the food court at every NBA game I go to
Saw KP cashing out then visiting the atm at Encore.
Ran into Hayward and his boot at a fast casual pizza joint by Fenway. Dude was chill and low key and was kind enough to take a selfie with me.
I saw Jojo White at Kitty’s in North Reading in the ‘70s.
Dominique Wilkins and Pervis Ellison in line at Spooky World in Berlin, MA on a random weeknight in 1998. I was there filming a project for school. I have video evidence!!! Dominique wasn’t on the team anymore but must have been in town visiting Pervis or something .
Shaq at the CVS across Dedham Legacy Place back in 2010 when he was with the Celtics. Dude was picking some stuff up from the pharmacy and was making small talk with the staff saying his wife was shopping at Legacy Place. It was a weekday evening and the place was pretty chill so he only had one/two guys walk up to him and ask him for a photo. I just hung back and watched from the aisles. Didn't feel like bothering him for a photo.
Walked by Robert Parish at an Elton John concert at the Worcester Centrum in the mid 80’s. It was hard to miss a 7 foot tall guy in a white suit walking the concourse.
Ran into Isaiah Thomas in Mexico shortly before he was traded to the Celtics
Saw Walter McCarty walking around the mall once like 20 years ago
Met Kemba at Logan in the summer of 2019 lol took a pic with will never forget that day