Celtics

People in the NBA were ‘shocked’ after hearing Danny Ainge’s recent comments about racism in Boston

Published by
Brad Sullivan

Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge’s recent comments that he had never heard comments from players about experiencing racism in Boston are being met with “shock” around the league.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski indicated during the network’s “NBA Countdown” program prior to Game 3 of the playoff series between the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets that Ainge’s comments didn’t mesh with reality.

Ainge made the comments earlier this week during a radio appearance in response to former Celtics guard Kyrie Irving remarking that he’d been subjected to what he called “subtle racism.”

“I think that we take those kind of things seriously,” Ainge said. “I never heard any of that, from any player that I’ve ever played with in my 26 years in Boston. I never heard that before from Kyrie and I talked to him quite a bit. So, I don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter. We’re just playing basketball. Players can say what they want.”

Yet, some current Celtics noted that even though the issue isn’t a widespread problem, there are fans who have crossed the line with their comments.

“It’s kind of sad and sickening,” said Marcus Smart. “Even though it’s an opposing team, we’ve had guys on your home team that you’re saying these racial slurs and you expect us to go out here and play for you. It’s tough.

 

“We just want everyone to be respectful, on and off the court. We want that same respect that we give to fans and the crowd to come out here and put on a good show and not to interfere in that type of manner with them. We expect the same in return from us.”

Jaylen Brown didn’t specify any incidents, but noted the need for the Boston area to improve social services and other areas in order to try to achieve quality.

“I know that every Celtics fan in our arena is not a racist,” Brown said. “We have people of all walks of life, ethnicities, colors that are diehard Celtics fans. So I think by painting every Celtics fan as a racist would be unfair. However, Boston, we’ve got a lot of work to do. No question. Incarceration rate is ridiculous. The wealth disparity is embarrassing. The inequality in education specifically in Boston Public Schools needs to be better. There’s lack of resources there, lack of opportunity. The tokenism here in Boston needs to be addressed as well.”

Ainge and the Celtics are trying to focus on their series with the Nets, which saw the Celtics cut their 2-0 deficit in half with a 125-119 win on Friday night. Game 4 is set for Sunday night.

Brad Sullivan

Brad has written on a variety of both NBA and NFL topics and has worked previously as a sports information director at the collegiate level. A lifetime fan of sports, he's witnessed countless great moments in different sports and understands that stories can be compelling from both the perspective of winners and losers. As a frustrated fan of Cleveland sports, he experienced something unprecedented when the Cavaliers won the city's first championship in 52 years.

Published by
Brad Sullivan

Recent Posts

Paul George: ‘Jared McCain can’t be our most consistent player’

Philadelphia 76ers shooting guard Jared McCain has played as well as any first-year player so…

12 hours ago

Antonio Brown offering to play for Steelers ‘for free’ to finish 2024 season

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown enjoyed his golden years in the league while playing…

12 hours ago

Jemele Hill blasts X amid LeBron’s social media break: ‘Full of racists, conspiracy theorists and jerks’

On Wednesday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called out the amount of negativity in…

15 hours ago

Joel Embiid says ‘everything’ gets blown out of proportion with him: ‘I’m the reason for everything’

Following the Philadelphia 76ers' loss to the Miami Heat on Monday, the squad reportedly held…

16 hours ago

Ben Simmons’ agent dunks on media outlet that disrespected his client

Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons laid an egg against the New York Knicks on Nov.…

2 days ago

Michael Jordan’s former teammate takes issue with G League plan for Bronny James

Former NFL safety Ryan Clark recently spoke critically of the fact that Los Angeles Lakers…

2 days ago