Marcus Smart Has ‘All Love’ For Celtics Fans Amid ‘Tough’ Departure

If there are any emotional Boston Celtics fans reading this, you might want to look away.

The Memphis Grizzlies held Marcus Smart’s introductory press conference in Las Vegas on Friday, signaling the end of the 29-year-old’s nine-season run with the Celtics. Smart was presented with his new No. 36 jersey, but the majority of the questions asked revolved around putting a bow on his time in Boston.

Smart, of course, was shipped to Memphis as part of a three-team deal that landed Kristaps Porzingis in Boston and the No. 35 overall pick in 2023 (via the Celtics), Tyus Jones, Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala in Washington.

It was a tough trade for Smart, but the former Defensive Player of the Year still has nothing but love for his time in Boston.

“Boston is my second home. It’s been tough, but they’re always going to have a place in my heart.”

Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart

“When I got to Boston, I was a 19-year-old kid from Dallas, Texas. It was a culture shock,” Smart said, per NBC Sports Boston video. “It was a social shock. It was a shock to my whole life. I had never been to the east coast or anything like that, so it was all weird to me, but I grew up.

“… Boston is my second home. It’s been tough, but they’re always going to have a place in my heart. I left everything I had wearing that jersey out on that court, and although we didn’t win a championship in the big scheme of things, I don’t consider my time there a failure. I helped rebuild that team at the time I came in, and I left it better in that sense. I’m very ecstatic about my time there, but I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Though the trade certainly caught Smart off guard, the fan reaction did not.

“The fan reaction in Boston was exactly what I expected it to be,” Smart said. “It’s all love. They ride — they ride for their city hard, man. It’s just like Memphis, right? That’s how it should be. It’s all love, so I wasn’t surprised by that.”