For nine years, Marcus Smart was arguably the heartbeat of the Boston Celtics as he defined the intensity and defensive presence that’s a hallmark with the franchise. Smart was dealt from Boston to the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2023-24 offseason, before then being shipped from Memphis to the Washington Wizards just prior to this year’s trade deadline.
Sunday marked his first return to TD Garden in Boston since being traded to the Wizards, though Smart didn’t exactly get the warm welcome—from all Celtics fans—that he had hoped for.
Smart did not play in Washington’s 124–90 defeat to the Celtics but he still generated the most headlines for what transpired late in the game. With about six minutes left in the fourth quarter, a commotion occurred near Washington’s bench, where Smart was sitting. A shouting match ensued between Smart and a Celtics fan that apparently went beyond the typical heckling.
Smart then added that he wasn’t arguing with the fan but rather pointing him out to security due to what the fan had said to him.
“I was just trying to get him out before it escalated to more than what it was,” Smart said.
Video footage shows that in-arena security officer ushered the fan away from the court and presumably out of the arena. Audio from the video also displays how much most of the Boston crowd was happy to see Smart back in the arena as “We want Marcus” was being chanted by the crowd.
The TD Garden crowd may have wanted Marcus, and they did get to see him but he did not take the court despite being healthy. At 31 years old, he’s more of a veteran presence than a contributor for a Wizards squad that is the youngest in the league and one that has the second-worst record in the NBA.
While this was Smart’s first visit to Boston as a Wizard, it wasn’t his first visit to his former home as an opponent, and he actually suited up in the first contest. While with the Grizzlies earlier this season, he played in his first game in Boston, while not playing for Boston, as the Grizzlies upset the Celtics 127–121 on Dec. 7, 2024. While that game was free of incident, it was also rather forgettable for Smart, who shot just 1 of 11 from the field and had three points in 19 minutes. The 9.1 percent field goal percentage was the fourth-worst of his career in which he had at least 10 attempts.
This also isn’t Smart’s first altercation with a fan. He shoved a fan in a Texas Tech shirt during a college game in 2014. Smart was given a technical foul and afterwards, claimed the fan used a racial slur. The Big 12 ultimately suspended Smart for three games for making physical contact with the fan, while the fan agreed to not attend any more Texas Tech games for the rest of that season.
Smart was a three-time All-Defensive selection with the Celtics and ranks fourth in franchise history in both steals and made 3-pointers. He also won the 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year in Boston, making him and Kevin Garnett (2008) the only Celtics to receive the award. However, he has to feel bittersweet about his time in Boston, considering what happened once he was traded away. He was shipped in a package which sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics, and Boston would go on to win the championship the season after Smart’s departure, with some Celtics fans thinking it was addition by subtraction by moving on from Smart.
Still though, he spoke fondly of his time in the city, and the incident with the fan notwithstanding, enjoyed his return as a visitor.
“Flashbacks, baby,” Smart said of being back in the Garden. “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—nine years. A kid to a young man.”
