PRESS CONFERENCE: Marcus Smart talks emotional return to Boston, trade to Memphis

PRESS CONFERENCE: Marcus Smart talks emotional return to Boston, trade to Memphis

Marcus you arrived in Boston when you were 20 you spent nearly a decade here in what ways did the city shape who you’ve become oh wow right off the bat huh oh man um no you know um Boston is uh it’s definitely a second home for me

You know I spent uh a little bit over half my life here almost um I’m all like you said I got here when I was 20 now I’m about to be turning 30 in March so um you know it’s I can go on all day about you know um everything that I’ve

Experienced here um but um just just the way that Boston took me in you know um um we all know playing in this city isn’t isn’t the easiest and uh there’s plenty times where you know they let us know about it especially me so um but

Everything is is is is always great here and uh I speak for everybody opposing team and guys who have played here that it’s nothing like planning this this place and planning this city and with these fans and then and they allow me to grow they allowed me to to see a

Different side of myself um and they watched me become a man you know so uh my my favorite thans will always be here but they definitely have shaped my life and uh in many ways than one and then this is a fan base that can’t wait to celebrate you tonight what is your

Message to them what do you want them to know now oh thank you guys I love you guys and uh forever um you guys will always be in my heart and Boston will always be here so uh never forgotten and thank you like I said Marcus what’s it like walking in here

And walking into a different locker room oo smaller uh no um it’s it’s it’s um it’s um it’s different we all know um but it’s Unique you know um I was able for nine years to to sit in that locker room and uh experience the home crowd um and

Uh I always have to hear about you know opposing teams coming here in the difference and what they feel so the uniqueness of being able be on that side now to understand um how much power playing in the garden really has and coming back with a different

Team what do you what do you tell your your current teammates about like this city this environment like is there something that you can take trying to build something in Memphis that you can take from here and kind of teach them definitely um you know I’m constantly talking to those guys they’re

Constantly asking questions um you know they’re a young group and they they want to be the best that they can be um and they saw a group of guys you know um put out sweat and tears and and to trying to do that and and and you know um going to

To to multiple Eastern Conference and have having a championship run under our belt obviously not the the the result we wanted but we got there and um so I’m definitely constantly talking to those guys with my just my experience what I went through um with a team with this

Team in Boston and and what we’ve experienced and uh you know that allows me to to to help keep the team you know in a positive mindset especially with everything that’s going on with us now um and and it kind of eases the blow of knowing that and understanding that you

Know somebody’s here who’s who’s done it who’s still trying to do it um and get to the to the place that we want to be um at least now we have somebody on our side that knows what that feeling is and uh use his experience to the best of our

Ability and they’ve been soaking it all in so it’s it’s an honor to play with those guys it’s an honor to play with this team and uh hopefully um you know I can be back on the court sooner welcome back Marcus um right um Santi said you

Talked to the team for 10 minutes before the last game just sharing and different tips and insights about playing the Celtics what are you able to tell them in terms of the guys who are going on the court and terms of the advice you have for playing against some just go

Out there and play I mean you know we’re playing against a really good team and a group of guys out there that you know um have a lot of experience at doing this and uh you know we’re we’re obviously you know playing with the cars that are

Dealt but these guys have worked their tails off and uh I’m just excited to to see them go out there and be able to let the world see you know what they they’re able to do and um just play things AR aren’t going to be perfect but they

Worked hard and just go out there and let let everybody see what you’ve been doing and that’s kind of what I’ve been telling them and uh it’s been working those guys have been playing really well you talked over the summer just how close you and Jaylen got over the course

Of his career he said in Memphis you know when he first got here he couldn’t stand you and then he learned to love you what was that process like just in terms of how that evolved over time here it was Mutual definitely mut ual um but no we

We we all know we all have siblings uh and uh and those of us who don’t understand from from the ones who the um that it’s a constant battle it’s not every day that I like you but I love you every day and um that’s kind of how you

Know me and jaylen’s relationship and these other guys here has evolved it might not have started off you know perfect um but you know we went through the storm together and we were able to come out another end um and see the Rainbow on the other side the pot of

Gold so like he said at first it wasn’t it wasn’t all peaches but you we we love each other to this day and it’s my brother for Life Marcus uh over the last four or five years I guess you’ve been a big part of the development for this team

Especially like Jaylen and Jason kind of ascending into their leadership roles so how does it feel from afar to see the way that things are going this year them really at the front of the league and the team kind of playing its best basketball it’s amazing to see you know

Um for me you know to see my brothers um you know all around in every sport um doing what they love to do and doing it exceptionally well at a very elite level um but especially this group of guys you know um it’s a special relationship I’ve

Built with these guys and uh you know I’ve seen these guys take a lot of criticism over the years um and I I’m just happy for them to to finally you know clicking and getting it together um because I had the pleasure of seeing it

Every day um you guys had a you’re only seeing it for a certain amount of time um uh and that’s on a basketball court so I’m very ecstatic for those guys and I’m happy for them then the hero Among Us award you’ve seen that given out a

Million times so what would it feel like to actually receive that and just what everything you did off the court here from like the big stuff to even just the little stuff what did that mean to you it would be an honor it would be a big

Honor for me um you know I pride myself on um you know um being more than just a basketball player uh and I think um you know being here in this city of Boston um has really um opened that field for me to really show who I am as a person

And um I think the things I do off the court um really show that and you know to be honored U of something under that Prestige award here would be definitely an honor to me so I’m looking forward to it Mark as you mentioned you were

Estatic for you know these guys and what they’ve been able to achieve so far this year is there any part of you that’s had a kind of difficulty Rec iling that you wanted to be a part of this and that you wanted to obviously win a championship

With this group and has there been any difficulty for you in that of course I mean when you come that close you know and then you know you have to leave is you’re definitely anybody in this position would definitely it’ be hard to to to to Fathom that and try to get wrap

Your head around it but at the end of the day um like I said it doesn’t stop how I feel about those guys um and just as much as I think I deserve it they deserve it as much as well so that’s why I say I am ecstatic for those guys

Because they’ve worked just as hard and they deserve it just as much as I do Marcus I often said like it had seemed like you were year six but it seemed like you had been here 12 years like you seem like you’ve been here 20

Years when it was only nine have you had a chance to reflect on all the ups and downs being part of the organizational growth like you said the Eastern Conference Finals the injuries you went through not playing complet never probably being completely healthy and then you know in the times of the tough

Times losing your mom have you had the chance to reflect or take a deep breath over the last few months and just kind of reflect on your time here um I don’t think I fully have um I’ve had moments and spurts uh but fully no you know it’s been real hectic for me

Um you know it seems like every time I’m coming back from injury now I get hurt again and um a lot of stuff personal that I’ve been dealing with um but um I haven’t had time to just really sit down um but I think you know um once I do get

That time though I will do that and um I’m sure it’s going to be a crying um a lot of laughter uh but it’s going to be all great feelings at the end of the day Marcus I you talked about it at the time but what what have the past few

Months been like to get to the point where you were able to kind of move on and you know I’m sure there was those initial feelings of hurt and um frustration but then you know have a new opportunity looking back at the positive things we here what was kind of the

Healing process like for you just kind of internally of getting to get get back to a good spot again oh well I mean you know um it was it was you know like I said uh between getting married and the wedding and and everything excuse me personally that I’ve been dealing with u

It helped it’s helped me cope it you know it it definitely hurt but it didn’t hurt as as hard as I thought it would uh because of that um you know and um like I said I’ve understand business and I understand this business and um and I

Tell people to this day if it was me I make the same business decision as well um all I asked was that you know could have gave a heads up or just a simple hey been here n years we just want to let you know this is what’s going on

Perfect you know at the end of the day I’m a businessman as well and um so that that’s what it was the hurt uh really come from um you know um but like I said I was able to to keep my mind off of it um there’s no e will towards the

Organization towards my teammates towards the coaching staff I love everybody and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to play with those guys Marcus right here um obviously the uh young game changers Foundation speaks for herself in what you did here in Boston how important was it for you to

Hit the ground running the same way uh in Memphis with the events you guys had a couple months back and then secondly uh you’re due for Ev evaluation in a couple weeks how are you feeling and and what’s your mindset there um yeah the you know it was it was critical for me

To to hit the ground running in Memphis um you know um just for the simple fact that’s who I am um you know and I build a legacy out here in Boston and and and um I wanted to live up to that name um the young Game Changer I wanted to

Continue to change lives um in multitudes of ways and uh one of the best ways I know is with my personality and me being me and helping in any way I can and that’s given my service and my time um so it was it was definitely critical for me to hit the ground

Running in in Memphis and keep that going and um yeah I’m coming up for evaluation the fingers fine it was it’s it’s it’s getting there um it’s a little different injury as we all know I’m kind of prone to those injuries that a little freaky um so um I’m taking my time with

It um we we want to get this thing right so uh we’ll see how I feel and go from there

Marcus Smart talks to the media ahead of the Celtics-Grizzlies matchup. It’s Smart’s first time back in Boston since being traded to Memphis before the start of the season.

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