Celtics Newcomer Expecting Hostility From Fanbase

Georges Niang hasn’t exactly ingratiated himself with fans of the Boston Celtics, which is sort of odd considering he used to be one.

Niang grew up in Massachusetts, so he never really had much of a choice when it came to picking a favorite basketball team growing up. The Indiana Pacers changed his allegiance when they drafted him in 2016, however, starting a string of changes as he’s bounced around the NBA. The Utah Jazz, Phildalphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks have since rostered the big-bodied forward, who now finds himself slated to suit up for his hometown team in 2025.

How does he expect things to go?

Not great.

“I’m a Boston kid,” Niang told Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller on “The OGs” podcast on Tuesday. “I then get traded for Kristaps Porzingis. (Haslem) knows how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a (expletive) if I’m from Boston or not. They’re like, ‘You just took our unicorn and replaced him with a minivan. Get the (expletive) out of here.’”

He kind of nailed it, huh?

Niang, of course, is missing a couple of details when it comes to his relationship with C’s fans. Boston likely still holds a grudge after he got into a back-and-forth with Jaylen Brown during a playoff series in 2023, pulling off a pretty dirty move by grabbing his now-teammate’s leg after he fell into the bench.

It’ll all be kosher if he steps into the lineup and contributes, however.

The Celtics could elect to move him between now and the start of the season, but as things currently stand, he should have at least a few people cheering him on at TD Garden in 2025.