Brandon Boston Jr. honored Terrence Clarke the best way he knew how: by torching the Boston Celtics.
The Los Angeles Clippers rookie guard dedicated his stellar performance against the C's to the late Boston native and NBA Draft prospect. The 27 points Boston scored off the bench were team and career highs, as he helped the Clippers beat the Celtics 114-111 on Wednesday night at Staples Center.
Afterward, Boston told reporters Clarke would have celebrated his breakout performance, even though it came against his beloved Celtics.
"He'd have called my phone screaming, excited, bright smile on his face, telling me 'I told you, I told you you're the best in the world, just keep going,'" Boston said in a postgame press conference, as seen in a video Southern California News Group's Mirjam Swanson shared via Twitter. "That's the type of relationship we had. He always pushed me to be my best self, so I always keep that in the back of my mind.
"I actually dedicated this game to him. He's from Boston. He wanted to play for Boston, so I was just going out there and carrying that chip on my shoulder … "
Clarke and Boston were close friends and teammates on the 2020-21 Kentucky Wildcats. They had just finished a workout in preparation for the 2021 NBA Draft on April 22, when Clarke died in a car accident, which Boston witnessed.
The Celtics and NBA each have paid tribute to Clarke in the ensuing months, and Boston emphatically added his own salute in his first meeting with the C's.
