Jrue Holiday describes Celtics love in Boston: “Before winning, I could go places”

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

“Earlier than profitable, I may go locations,” Vacation mentioned with a smile, at an occasion celebrating a grand opening of a new Raising Cane’s. “It could be sort of wonderful strolling round. Now, in every single place I am 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 Red Sox participant David Ortiz.

The 2 athletes — each of whom will without end be hailed as heroes within the metropolis of Boston — embraced.

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

For Massive Papi, who’s been retired from skilled sports activities for practically a decade, watching the journey to Banner 18 was an exhilarating expertise. The three-time World Sequence winner mentioned that he acquired a powerful 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 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 Photographs

The expertise of seeing Al Horford — a fellow skilled athlete for the Dominican Republic — win an NBA title was significantly significant for Ortiz. He was within the constructing for Sport 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 additional time.

“After I see the Celtics win, once I see my hometown homie getting it completed, I really feel like I acquired it completed,” 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 all the time say this once I return house — I’m so glad that I performed Boston as a result of the followers in Boston acquired the most effective out of me,” Oritz mentioned.

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

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 recreation. Requested to check the 2 championships he secured this summer season, Vacation famous that beating France within the Gold Medal Sport — in entrance of the French crowd — was undoubtedly particular.

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

Nonetheless, profitable an NBA championship in Boston, and the next 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 all the pieces 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 certainly one of 13 Celtics coming 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 incredible distinction

“I feel it’s going to assist lots, “ Vacation mentioned. “It’s all the time arduous to win one, however then to win back-to-back is even tougher. So I feel simply sort of getting a head begin on different groups, presumably, the place we have now the continuity and the objective that we wished for the top of the season — it ended up occurring 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 because the 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-known celebratory sight, in a bustling nook of town the place they’ll without end be often called champions.