Jrue Vacation describes Celtics love in Boston: “Earlier than successful, I might go locations”

For Jrue Vacation, strolling round Boston has been a totally completely different expertise since he gained an NBA championship as a member of the Boston Celtics.

“Earlier than successful, I might go locations,” Vacation mentioned with a smile, at an occasion celebrating a grand opening of a brand new Elevating Cane’s. “It might be type of effective strolling round. Now, in all places I’m going, there’s at all times —”

Simply as he was starting to explain the inflow of consideration he’s acquired from Celtics followers since Banner 18 was secured in June, one other Boston sports activities legend walked into the restaurant: Corridor of Fame Purple Sox participant David Ortiz.

The 2 athletes — each of whom will eternally be hailed as heroes within the metropolis of Boston — embraced.

David Ortiz mentioned he felt like he gained when the Celtics gained it all

For Massive Papi, who’s been retired from skilled sports activities for almost a decade, watching the journey to Banner 18 was an exciting expertise. The three-time World Sequence winner mentioned that he received a powerful sense throughout the 2023 playoffs that the Celtics had been near successful all of it — and that he absolutely embraced the emotion of supporting the Celtics this previous season.

“I’m a Celtic,” Ortiz mentioned. “I cheer, I scream, I cry.”

“I can vouch for that,” Jrue Vacation added with a smile.

Photograph by Brian Babineau/NBAE through Getty Photos

The expertise of seeing Al Horford — a fellow skilled athlete for the Dominican Republic — win an NBA title was notably significant for Ortiz. He was within the constructing for Recreation 1 of the Japanese Convention Finals, and watched TD Backyard explode in celebration after Jaylen Brown hit a game-tying three-pointer within the waning seconds to ship the sport to time beyond regulation.

“Once I see the Celtics win, after I see my hometown homie getting it executed, I really feel like I received it executed,” Ortiz mentioned, oozing with delight.

Ortiz reminisced on how Purple Sox followers crammed the ballpark whatever the climate, or how issues had been going.

“I at all times say this after I return dwelling — I’m so glad that I performed Boston as a result of the followers in Boston received the most effective out of me,” Oritz mentioned.

For Vacation, successful an NBA title in Boston was the spotlight of an unimaginable summer season

Vacation has been on fairly the roll since successful the championship with the Celtics in June. He headed to Las Vegas for coaching camp shortly after, after which abroad for the Olympics as a returning member of the U.S. males’s Olympic basketball group.

Vacation was a key member of the gold medal successful squad, averaging 7.6 factors and three.6 assists in 18.8 minutes per recreation. Requested to check the 2 championships he secured this summer season, Vacation famous that beating France within the Gold Medal Recreation — in entrance of the French crowd — was undoubtedly particular.

“It was actually us towards the world,” Vacation mentioned.

Nonetheless, successful an NBA championship in Boston, and the following chaotic championship parade, was an unparalleled expertise.

“Successful right here was wonderful,” he mentioned. “I’m undecided something tops that.”

The most important back-to-back victories additionally meant that Vacation has barely had a second to take all of it in.

“It was all simply so overwhelming,” Vacation mentioned. “That was wonderful. Then the parade was loopy. So I can’t — I don’t know, I really feel like I’m nonetheless in a excessive with every thing happening.”

Subsequent on the record? Again-to-back championships

Jrue Vacation already has two NBA championships and two gold medals below his belt. His subsequent pursuit is securing the elusive back-to-back championships.

Vacation is one in all 13 Celtics getting back from final yr’s championship group, an inventory that features Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Neemias Queta, Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, Jordan Walsh and two-way gamers Drew Peterson and JD Davison.

Tatum, White, and Hauser all signed large offseason extensions, whereas Queta, Tillman, and Kornet re-signed on minimal offers. It’s an astonishing return fee for a championship group — and one which Vacation thinks will make an amazing distinction

“I feel it’s going to assist quite a bit, “ Vacation mentioned. “It’s at all times onerous to win one, however then to win back-to-back is even more durable. So I feel simply type of getting a head begin on different groups, presumably, the place now we have the continuity and the objective that we needed for the top of the season — it ended up taking place for us, however to have the ability to go into the subsequent season locked in and doing the identical factor.”

No NBA group has managed to win the elusive back-to-back title because the Warriors did it with Kevin Durant in 2017 and 2018. Jrue Vacation and the Celtics will hope to alter that.

On the conclusion of the occasion, Vacation and Ortiz each participated within the ribbon slicing ceremony to have fun the twenty eighth birthday of Elevating Cane’s — and the opening of a brand new restaurant location in downtown Boston.

At confetti inundated the air, each athletes skilled a well-known celebratory sight, in a bustling nook of town the place they’ll eternally be referred to as champions.