Head coach Joe Mazzulla has already started preparing for the 2024-25 season. But for the majority of the 2023-24 Boston Celtics, it’s time to celebrate.
The Celtics held their championship parade in Boston on Friday, capping a week that began with their victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals to win their 18th championship, the most in NBA history. NBA.
The parade kicked off in front of TD Garden at 11 a.m. ET, and it was a party in the streets of Boston as the city celebrated the Celtics’ first title since 2008 and the region’s first “Big Four” professional sports championship since February 2019. after the New England Patriots won Super Bowl LIII.
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Below is a summary of the best moments before, during and after the parade:
3:30 p.m. ET: Another successful parade is in the books. Here’s a look at the best moments from Friday’s rolling rally:
3:25 p.m. ET: Mike Gorman was a vibe at the Celtics championship parade Friday.
1:42 p.m. ET: Joe Mazzulla’s son was just as excited as his father…
1:35 p.m. ET: Joe Mazzulla’s torn meniscus didn’t stop the Celtics head coach from jumping off his duck and waving enthusiastically to the crowd.
1:20 p.m. ET: Boston sports fans were at their best Friday, with Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid one of many casualties.
1:15 p.m. ET: Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens received plenty of applause from the Boston crowd.
1:12 p.m. ET: Derrick White wore a stunning jersey with the phrase “Nobody Cares,” a reference to what Joe Mazzulla said to White when White congratulated him on winning NBA Coach of the Month earlier this season :
1:10 p.m. ET: It’s not Really a championship parade until someone took their shirt off, and Sam Hauser obliged:
1:05 p.m. ET: Jayson Tatum and his son Deuce were thrilling on their duck boat:
1 p.m. ET: Jaylen Brown’s victory lap continues:
12:50 p.m. ET: Drew Carter, who will be NBC Sports Boston’s full-time play-by-play announcer for Celtics games next season, captured some of the love Mike Gorman received from C fans along the way from the parade:
12:30 p.m. ET: Here’s your first look at Banner 18, held aloft by Celtics principal owner Wyc Grousbeck:
12:28 p.m. ET: You didn’t think 2008 champion and Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce would miss another Celtics parade, did you?
12:25 p.m. ET: In case you still have questions about Jaylen Brown’s ability to handle the ball, here’s the NBA Finals MVP showing off some skills on a duck next to Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca:
12:22 p.m. ET: Jayson Tatum shared a first-person view of himself on a duck boat with the Larry O’Brien Trophy via his Instagram Story:
12:19 p.m. ET: No one knows how to handle a crowd like Celtics big man Luke Kornet.
12:03 p.m. ET: Derrick White makes sure Boston fans stay hydrated…
12 p.m. ET: Al Horford and his father, Tito Horford, are HYPED after the Celtics veteran capped his 17th season with his first NBA championship.
11:58 a.m. ET: Celtics sharpshooter Sam Hauser went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. He is now an NBA champion.
11:55 a.m. ET: Head coach Joe Mazzulla wore a stunning jersey depicting Celtics legends Red Auerbach and Bill Russell celebrating a championship in the 1960s. It was a wise choice, since Mazzulla just became the youngest head coach since Russell in 1969 to win an NBA championship.
11:50 a.m. ET: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown received massive ovations as their duck boats began their journey through the streets of Boston.
11:45 a.m. ET: Legendary NBC Sports Boston play-by-play announcer Mike Gorman is soaking it all in after the Celtics retired him with a championship.
11:30 a.m. ET: You didn’t think Mavs star Luka Doncic would be spared the wrath of Celtics fans, did you?
11:15 a.m. ET: Jayson Tatum threw shade at the Miami Heat during a pregame interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Brian Scalabrine inside TD Garden:
10:45 a.m. ET: Kristaps Porzingis is ready to party.
10:45 a.m. ET: Al Horford showed up wearing a shirt with a photo of a living Tom Brady during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl parade in February 2021 — and Brady approved.
10:25 a.m. ET: Jaylen Brown kept the receipts.
The 2024 NBA Finals MVP walked into TD Garden wearing a shirt that read “State Your Source,” in a nod to a post he posted on social media in late May calling out Stephen A Smith of ESPN for claiming that some people think Brown isn’t marketable because he has a big ego.
10:15 a.m. ET: Celtics guard and half-court buzzer specialist Payton Pritchard paid tribute to his alma mater of Oregon with his parade attire.
10:10 a.m. ET: Luke Kornet’s pre-show interview with Abby Chin did not disappoint, as the tall, affable man reflected on his first show appearance, lamented not bringing sunscreen, and admitted that he wore maple syrup (!) in his coffee:
9:55 a.m. ET: Abby Chin caught up with guard Derrick White, who showed off some new dental work after his nasty fall in Game 5, and paid tribute to his sponsor, Sam Adams: