A fan was ejected from TD Garden during the Boston Celtics‘ 124-90 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday following a verbal exchange with Wizards guard Marcus Smart, who played for the Celtics for the first nine seasons of his NBA career.
Smart did not see the floor in the game, but he and the fan got into a shouting match while he was on the bench and had to be physically restrained by teammates. The fan was escorted out of the arena by security shortly after the exchange.
“[The fan] just crossed the line and we all know I don’t do line-crossing,” Smart said after the game. “That was it. We move on. Unfortunate, you never want to see that, especially for a guy who’s coming back, and who’s given the city everything he has, but it is what it is. Take the spirit, we’ll take it. Onto the next one.”
Outside of the incident, it appeared to be a welcoming atmosphere for Smart back in Boston. One fan donned a “Marcus Smart forever a Celtic” t-shirt, while chants of “We want Marcus” broke out in the arena.
Smart was a key member of the Celtics over the past decade, earning three All-Defensive selections and winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22. He is still the only guard since Gary Payton in 1996 to earn the honor.
His time after Boston has been plagued by injuries, as he’s only suited up for 54 total games in the past two seasons with the Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies. Smart was traded from Memphis to Washington in February in a multi-team deal, and has averaged nine points, two rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 39% from 3-point range in 15 games in a Wizards uniform.
Known as the heart and soul of the Celtics for years, it’s unfortunate that a fan would attempt to ruin what was an otherwise pleasant homecoming. Luckily Smart’s teammates and arena security stepped in before things escalated to a physical level.
