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

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

“Earlier than profitable, I might go locations,” Vacation stated with a smile, at an occasion celebrating a grand opening of a brand new Elevating Cane’s. “It might be form of superb strolling round. Now, in every single place I’m going, there’s all the time —”

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 Pink Sox participant David Ortiz.

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

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

For Large Papi, who’s been retired from skilled sports activities for almost a decade, watching the journey to Banner 18 was an exhilarating expertise. The three-time World Sequence winner stated that he obtained a robust sense in the course of the 2023 playoffs that the Celtics had been near profitable all of it — and that he absolutely embraced the emotion of supporting the Celtics this previous season.

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

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

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 extra time.

“Once I see the Celtics win, once I see my hometown homie getting it completed, I really feel like I obtained it completed,” Ortiz stated, oozing with satisfaction.

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

“I all the time say this once I return residence — I’m so glad that I performed Boston as a result of the followers in Boston obtained one of the best out of me,” Oritz stated.

For Vacation, profitable an NBA title in Boston was the spotlight of an unbelievable summer time

Vacation has been on fairly the roll since profitable 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 profitable squad, averaging 7.6 factors and three.6 assists in 18.8 minutes per sport. Requested to check the 2 championships he secured this summer time, 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 stated.

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

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

The main 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 stated. “That was superb. Then the parade was loopy. So I can’t — I don’t know, I really feel like I’m nonetheless in a excessive with all the things happening.”

Subsequent on the checklist? 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 every of 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 charge for a championship group — and one which Vacation thinks will make an amazing distinction

“I feel it’s going to assist so much, “ Vacation stated. “It’s all the time exhausting to win one, however then to win back-to-back is even tougher. So I feel simply form of getting a head begin on different groups, probably, the place now we have the continuity and the purpose that we wished for the tip of the season — it ended up taking place for us, however to have the ability to go into the following season locked in and doing the identical factor.”

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

On the conclusion of the occasion, Vacation and Ortiz each participated within the ribbon chopping ceremony to have a good time 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-recognized celebratory sight, in a bustling nook of town the place they’ll endlessly be often called champions.