Why Celtics’ Jaylen Brown still considers Marcus Smart ‘family’ after Grizzlies loss

Celtics star Jaylen Brown will always call former teammate Marcus Smart family. And so will the city of Boston.

Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart looking happy togetherBOSTON — Memphis Grizzlies point guard Marcus Smart hasn’t been with the Boston Celtics for over a year. The offseason trade that sent the nine-year Celtic out of Beantown in 2023 shocked fans and players, yet Smart’s departure never changed the fact that he is still family in the eyes of the Celtics and their fans.

On Saturday night, Celtics fans welcomed one of their favorite “relatives” back with a standing ovation. Although it was not Smart’s first official game in Boston as part of another franchise, it did feature his first on-court action against his former team. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year was injured for each of the Grizzlies’ meetings with the C’s last season.

The most cheers you’ll ever hear for an opposing player at TD Garden, as Smart takes the court

Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who spent the first seven years of his NBA career alongside Smart, enjoyed seeing his close friend. However, he had to admit that it was an odd feeling going up against somebody he battled alongside for almost a decade.

“It was weird,” Jaylen Brown told reporters in his postgame press conference. “But, it was great. Marcus is a family member at this point. So to be able to see him and congratulate him on starting his family and stuff off the court is amazing. All that stuff is good. It is definitely good to see him.”

Jaylen Brown on finally playing against Marcus Smart: “It’s weird. But it was great. Marcus is a family member at this point.”

Smart’s wife, Maisa, and baby boy, Zayn, were present at TD Garden for the highly-anticipated homecoming. While Smart would have liked to play better, finishing with just three points and two turnovers in 19 minutes, his Grizzlies upset the reigning champion Celtics, 127-121.

And most importantly, Smart had his son be a part of one of the most special moments of his 11-year career, per Jay King of The Athletic.

“One day, he can understand,” Smart said. “He can see the impact his dad had on the city and on the team where he started his journey.”

How Marcus Smart left his mark on Jaylen Brown and the Celtics

There’s no question Smart is beloved in Boston and has a lingering impact on a place that appreciates hustle and effort as much as stellar shot-making.

Even though Smart never won a title in the championship-obsessed city, his influence was apparent on the backs of Celtics fans, as there were dozens of folks wearing jerseys that donned Smart’s name at TD Garden on Saturday night. It was also evident in Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s pregame presser.

“There’s a lot of people who have worked in this organization for a long time who haven’t won and I always say the people who have moved the Celtics forward is what makes this job what it is,” he stated. “Even before I got here, [Smart] just put his mark on the city. The way the fans respond to him, the way his teammates care about him. Just how hard he plays every night.”

Joe Mazzulla on Marcus Smart and what he’s done for the Celtics: “Even before I got here, he left his mark on this city.”

It is a rarity to see Celtics fans support opposing players. But, when Smart drained a 3-pointer against the team he previously went to war for, there were no boos or groans from the crowd. If anything, it was a subtle sign that the Texas native will always have a second home in Boston.

“You all know how much he means to this city, to this franchise,” Celtics star Jayson Tatum asserted on Friday. “Ultimate Celtic, he’ll always be a Celtic for life.”