Once considered part of the New York Knicks future, Kristaps Porzingis gets booed by Knicks fans when he visits. Such was the case when the Knicks played the Boston Celtics on February 24.
Porzingis talked about what it’s like to be booed by the fanbase knowing their history.
"I enjoy it… They've ramped up again a little bit with me on the Celtics"
Kristaps Porzingis says he loves hearing the boos when he plays in Madison Square Garden pic.twitter.com/ci1x2gktID
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) February 25, 2024
“I enjoy it, to be honest,” Porzingis told reporters, per Celtics on NBC Sports Boston’s X account. “They kind of went down in my years in Washington, but still getting booed. I feel like now they’ve ramped up again a little bit with me being with the Celtics and having this kind of rivalry with the Knicks.”
Porzingis added that he’d prefer emotions, whether positive or negative, over no emotions at all from fans when he plays.
“As I always say, I prefer any kind of emotion over no emotion. So it’s either cheers or our boos, I want it, and tonight was no different. Big game. TV game. Fans were into it. And then we just took care of business.”
The Knicks drafted Porzingis No. 4 during the 2015 NBA Draft. He played for the Knicks from 2015 to 2019, where he made the All-Star team in 2018 before they traded him to the Mavericks.
Kristaps Porzingis Credits Celtics’ Front Office
After the Celtics beat the Knicks, Kristaps Porzingis credited the Celtics front office for the roster construction.
“We have to give a lot of credit to our front office for putting this type of team together,” Porzingis told reporters, per Celtics on CLNS’ X account. “When the opportunity presented, for me at least, I said, ‘This is gonna work, 100%. Or we’re gonna figure it out sooner than later.’ And it just worked right away because of the fit, because of where I am in my career, and adding Jrue (Holiday).”
Kristaps Porzingis on his FIT with Boston:
"When the opportunity presented for me I said this is gonna work 100%, this is gonna work. We're gonna figure it out sooner or later and it just worked right away because of the fit, because of where I am in my career."
📺FULL #Celtics… pic.twitter.com/EqdGrkAYSJ
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) February 25, 2024
Acquiring Kristaps Porzingis came at the expense of trading away Marcus Smart. However, acquiring Holiday, also known as one of the league’s best defensive guards, negated a lot of the risk of getting rid of Smart.
Porzingis has taken the Celtics to another level, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have never played with a center with the offensive finesse he has.
Jrue Holiday’s Thoughts on Knicks Fans Booing Porzingis
NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin caught up with Jrue Holiday after the Celtics beat the Knicks. Holiday told Chin what it was like to hear Knicks fans boo the team’s former lottery.
“It felt good, especially in MSG… to be able to play here, and do it in front of this crowd”
@tvabby caught up with Jrue Holiday after the Celtics got their 8th-straight win, and they talk playing in MSG and feeding off the crowd
"It felt good, especially in MSG… to be able to play here, and do it in front of this crowd"@tvabby caught up with Jrue Holiday after the Celtics got their 8th-straight win, and they talk playing in MSG and feeding off the crowd pic.twitter.com/KjBK7ZYSGN
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) February 25, 2024
“(I) love it. He loves it. We love it. It definitely boosted the energy (and) morale. We love to hear it. There’s also Celtics chants,” Holiday told Chin, per Celtics on NBC Sports Boston’s X account.
Holiday clearly feels a sense of camaraderie with Porzingis while also feeling connected to the Celtics fanbase when they go on the road. Holiday may or may not incur the same wrath from the likes of Bucks fans, although the difference is that Holiday never wanted the Bucks to trade him.
However, much like with the Knicks, Bucks fans may not be too happy to see him succeed on their Eastern Conference rival.
