The Boston Celtics’ weekend trip to Texas had a bit of extra significance for rookie Marcus Smart.
Smart, who grew up in the Dallas area, will be joined by scores of friends and family when his Celtics take on the Mavericks on Monday night. But first, he had some business to attend to.
The point guard said that as a child, he had promised his mother he one day would buy her a house. He recently delivered on that vow, and on Sunday, he took his parents to see the property for the first time.
“She picked out an awesome place,” Smart said Monday, via Celtics.com. “It’s incredible. I love it. … I looked at my mom, and she was smiling from ear to ear with my dad. I just felt proud.”
The Oklahoma State product said he plans to close on the house Nov. 17.
As for the homecoming game itself, Smart will have quite the cheering section at the American Airlines Center.
“I got about 32 tickets and it went up some more,” he said. “And that’s not counting the people that actually bought their tickets.”
One of Smart’s Celtics teammates faced a similar situation last season, as Toronto native Kelly Olynyk’s very first NBA game came against his hometown Raptors. The center called the added distractions of playing back home “a little bit of a conundrum” and said he’d advise Smart to keep his focus on the game.
“To come back here — he’s back at home — you’re going to want to play well but you’ve just got to stick to the course, stick to the game plan,” Olynyk said. “Don’t force anything and just play your game and let the game come to you.”
Thumbnail photo via Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports Images
