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

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

“Earlier than profitable, I might go locations,” Vacation mentioned with a smile, at an occasion celebrating a grand opening of a brand new Elevating Cane’s. “It could be type of positive strolling round. Now, in all places 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 Purple Sox participant David Ortiz.

The 2 athletes — each of whom will ceaselessly 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 Large 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 Collection winner mentioned that he received a robust sense throughout the 2023 playoffs that the Celtics have been near profitable all of it — and that he totally 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.

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 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.

“After I see the Celtics win, after I see my hometown homie getting it performed, I really feel like I received it performed,” Ortiz mentioned, oozing with pleasure.

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

“I all the time say this after I return dwelling — I’m so glad that I performed Boston as a result of the followers in Boston received the perfect 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 crew.

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 match 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 in opposition to the world,” Vacation mentioned.

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

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

The foremost 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 the whole lot occurring.”

Subsequent on the listing? Again-to-back championships

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

Vacation is considered one of 13 Celtics getting back from final yr’s championship crew, 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 huge offseason extensions, whereas Queta, Tillman, and Kornet re-signed on minimal offers. It’s an astonishing return charge for a championship crew — and one which Vacation thinks will make an amazing distinction

“I believe it’s going to assist quite a bit, “ Vacation mentioned. “It’s all the time arduous to win one, however then to win back-to-back is even tougher. So I believe simply type of getting a head begin on different groups, probably, the place we’ve the continuity and the purpose 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 crew 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 reducing ceremony to rejoice 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 the town the place they’ll ceaselessly be generally known as champions.