Historic Hatered: I didn’t like the way they were treating Kyrie Irving” Boston Celtics legend lament bitterly with enough reasons…
Before retiring in 2015, Sebastian Telfair played in the NBA for 11 seasons, but the 39-year-old now retired hated being a member of the Boston Celtics more than any other team in the league.
Telfair said to VladTV, “I’m not a big fan of Boston and Boston supporters are (expletives). “I didn’t like the way they were treating Kyrie Irving, but that’s what happens when you win.”
Along with Theo Ratliff, Telfair was acquired by the Celtics in the summer of 2006 via a trade with the Trail Blazers for Randy Foye, Raef LaFrentz, Dan Dickau, and the seventh overall pick in the draft. At the time, Boston general manager Danny Ainge was looking for a reliable point guard to entrust, two years prior to assembling the team’s “Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen.
Ainge’s move of Boston into the latter rounds of the first round to obtain the draft rights of Kentucky’s Rajon Rondo—who would ultimately surpass Telfair and emerge as the Celtics’ top pick—changed the course of those plans.
Behind Rondo and Delonte West, Telfair averaged 6.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. But the straw that broke the camel’s back came when Telfair was arrested in 2007 for speeding in New York and found in possession of a loaded weapon. On behalf of the team, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck took the decisive step and cut all connections with Telfair, sending him
The brief stint in Boston cemented Telfair’s mind when looking back.
“That’s why I don’t like they ass,” Telfair added on Boston fans.
In hindsight, regardless of how Telfair feels, the Celtics made the right decision. Sticking with Rondo, who too, wasn’t the most patient as a young up-and-coming star guard, paid off tremendously. Rondo became a homegrown All-Star facilitator, making scoring for Pierce, Garnett and Allen, infinitely easier throughout their two runs to the NBA Finals.
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Telfair still stuck around the league, packaged in Boston’s 2007 summer trade for Garnett with the Timberwolves. From there, Telfair logged his best campaign in 2007-08, averaging 9.3 points and 5.9 assists, helping him earn a three-year extension with Minnesota.
Yet, while Telfair could be regarded as an inadvertent contributor to Boston’s 2008 title, he’s taking no positives from having sported a Celtics uniform.
“I don’t wanna go into all the details about Boston BS, but I think my timing with being at Boston was terrible,” Telfair explained. “Doc Rivers was the coach. We had a bunch of young guys. Paul Pierce was there. I think I spoke about this a little bit, I think my timing and me coming in with my hype and that group of guys with Tony Allen, Delonte West, (Rajon) Rondo, Al Jefferson and (Kendrick) Perkins, Paul Pierce — yeah, that was terrible for me.”
