Kemba Walker reportedly hated getting booed by Celtics fans
Jared Weiss posted on Saturday a detailed account of dysfunction within the 2020-21 Boston Celtics. It covers a number of topics, among them the issues that led to Kemba Walker and the Celtics breaking up.
According to Weiss in The Athletic, multiple sources said Walker was “pissed” to get booed by fans at TD Garden.
Walker maintained his professionalism throughout the season but his health issues, the team’s poor performance and boos from TD Garden fans — something that particularly “pissed him off,” according to multiple sources — made him sour on his situation in Boston and had spoken privately about being willing to move to a new team. It had become clear he was not going to be in the team’s long-term plans.
If that alone was enough to make Walker want to leave Boston – and we are ostensibly talking about your standard, run-of-the-mill boos, not incidents of racism or anything particularly serious – then he clearly wasn’t cut out for the city in the first place. Boston/New England fans get angry and boo their own players sometimes. It’s not unique to Boston, but it’s not something that happens in every sports city, either, and it can be jarring for players who expect unconditional support.
But usually, Celtics fans are generally among the most supportive in the city, and the boos only come out when the team is playing unusually poorly. It’s certainly not a nightly thing. Regardless, Walker couldn’t handle it whenever he heard it. So he should have more fun in Oklahoma City, where the team is going to suck and the fan pressure will be significantly dialed back.
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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at [email protected].
