How LeGarrette Blount became a fixture at Celtics games


With the New England Patriots in Houston preparing for the Super Bowl, the Celtics will be missing one of their biggest fans court side for the next few games. LeGarrette Blount has become a regular at Celtics games after befriending both Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas at the end of last season. Blount attended the C's 3rd game against the Atlanta Hawks in last years playoffs, the one where Isaiah went off for 42 points trying to pull his team out from an 0-2 deficit. The Celtics won the game, and after Thomas buried and 3-pointer with a foul on top the Garden exploded. Isaiah turned to see Blount out of his court-side seat and he embraced him with a thunderous high-five. Seeing that on TV when it happened you would've thought the two were good friends or at the very least knew each other (I know I did), but that was the first time they'd ever met. A friendship ensued, and ever since Blount has been a regular at the Garden. Via Jay King of MAssLive:

"He was hyped just as much as I was," Thomas recalls now. "So he came to the locker room, we exchanged numbers, and it's been a real little genuine relationship we've got."

Jay King also recently wrote about how Blount made his way into the Celtics locker room for the first time, without actually knowing anybody on the team:

After one of the Celtics wins during the aforementioned first-round series, Blount talked his way into the back hallway and tried to gain access to the locker room. Without knowing any of the players on the team well, he explained his identity to one of the security guards and asked if he could join the celebration occurring on the other side of the door. The Celtics director of security, Phil Lynch, relayed the request to some of the players, according to Crowder. Essentially, they shrugged their shoulders. If the man punches in touchdowns for another Boston-area team and grows so animated while rooting for the Celtics, sure, let him in.

According to Crowder, now that he's got an in with the C's Blount doesn't ask for permission anymore:

"A lot of the times he just comes in," echoed Crowder. "He chest bumps. He do all that high fives, all that crazy stuff. He's a football guy so he's got a lot of energy, especially after a win."

Funny that both Crowder and Thomas were not Patriots fans before meeting Blount. Isaiah has been a notorious Seattle Seahawks fan, but took in his first Patriots game just a couple of weeks ago with his son as New England took on the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium. A little reverse from the norm as Isaiah was on the sideline to greet Blount before his game this time:


Thomas was rocking a signed Tom Brady jersey he received earlier in the week from #12 himself. A gift from his other Patriots pal, whom he befriended last summer as the Celtics tried to lure Kevin Durant to Beantown.

As for Crowder he grew up in Georgia and has always been an Atlanta Falcons fan, which might be a little uneasy with his new friend LeGarrette who is set to take on the birds this Sunday in a little game you've probably heard of called the Super Bowl. Blount has already told Crowder not to get his hopes up about a Falcons win:


Patriots players have always been a fixture at Celtics games, but I've never heard of anybody having the kind of connection with the C's that Blount has. It seems like almost every time I get to a game there's a Patriot showing up the the big screen. Vince Wilfork was there a lot, Malcolm Butler, heck even coach Bill Belichick gets to most of the big games when football season is over. It's really cool to see such a kinship between the local sports franchises, and when a genuine friendship can come out of that, even better.

Now Crowder and Thomas want Blount to return the favor and get them into the Patriots locker room, but they both know that's a stretch - even if Bill is a Celtics fan:

"It may be a little harder," Crowder admitted. "Belichick's a little tougher than Brad. But we'll make it happen soon."




Related: Don't forget to check out the Celtics Life Podcast, episode 3 is out!

Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkAL401
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