Patriots’ Damien Harris Was Inspired By Kevin Garnett’s Jersey Retirement

BOSTON — New England Patriots running back Damien Harris has embraced Boston sports culture since arriving in 2019, and explained Saturday how motivating it is to see the relationship between fans and athletes.

Harris is a frequent attendee of Boston sporting events, and he was present for the Celtics’ Game 3 matchup with the Miami Heat, appearing on NBC Sports Boston’s pregame show. The Patriots running back was also in attendance at TD Garden when NBA Hall of Famer and Celtics legend Kevin Garnett had his jersey retired.

“That was one of the more special moments of my time as an athlete, honestly,” Harris said. “Being here for that and seeing everything he brought to Boston and the Celtics, seeing how people respected him and appreciated his greatness and what he did on the court, leading as a teammate, as a player, it was extremely motivating.

“Coming out of that, I felt like I had a little extra juice going to work the next day. Just seeing these Boston sports teams work under that blue-collar mentality, the grittiness, the toughness and just seeing what all these teams bring to Boston, it was definitely inspiring to do my part and continue to add to that culture.”

Harris and Celtics fans will hope Boston can win Game 3 on Saturday against the Miami Heat to continue their path toward banner No. 18.