Marcus Smart gets into shouting match with Boston fan who "crossed the line" at TD Garden
Former Celtics guard Marcus Smart had a nice reunion with his old teammates at TD Garden on Sunday night, and a not-so-nice reunion with one Boston fan. Smart got into a shouting match with a fan behind the Wizards bench late in the game, which led to the Wizards guard being held back by teammates and the fan being ejected by stadium security.
Smart did not play against his former team, as the Celtics cruised to a
124-90 victory over the lowly Wizards
. He's no stranger to a little trash talk and doesn't mind dishing it right back to fans in any stadium.
But on Sunday, Smart said the fan "crossed the line." The fan said something that got Smart's attention, and the shouting match ensued. While he was being held back by teammates, Smart made sure to point the fan out to security so they could escort him out of the Garden.
"We all know, I don't do line crossing,"
Smart told reporters from the visitor's locker room
. "That was it and we move on. Unfortunate, and you never want to see that, especially for a guy who's coming back and has given the city everything he has.
"But it is what it is," he added. "Take the spirit. We'll take it."
The altercation happened as the TD Garden crowd chanted "We want Marcus!" to the former Boston fan favorite.
"Flashbacks, baby," Smart said of the crowd -- aside from that one fan. "The love is always there. From both sides, myself and the fans, the city. It's definitely emotional coming back and you try to hold it back. But I love it. I love every last bit of it. I'm a part of the city. [Was here for] nine years, a kid to a young man."
Smart bled green for nine seasons after the Celtics drafted him sixth overall in 2014. He earned Defensive Player of the Year with Boston in the 2021-22 season, and was a three-time All-Defensive selection with the C's. He was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies two summers ago in the deal that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston, and was then dealt from the Grizzlies to the Washington Wizards a few months ago at the NBA trade deadline.
Smart spent quite a bit of time catching up with his former Celtics teammates after Sunday's game, chatting it up with Jaylen Brown and Derrick White on the court.
"It's always good to keep in touch with those guys," said Smart. "Grew up with those guys. We went through a lot of battles; blood, sweat and tears. A few of those guys came to my mom's funeral. So it's a deeper bond than just basketball between us."
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