BOSTON – For the first time since 2015, the Celtics didn’t get a Christmas Day game. In hindsight, that was an undeniable mistake – even without Jayson Tatum, they hold the Eastern Conference’s third-best record and the NBA’s sixth-best net rating, powered by an MVP-caliber season from Jaylen Brown.
But the scheduling oversight didn’t prevent the team from making its mark on the holidays; players across the roster took the initiative to spearhead numerous events aimed at uplifting the Greater Boston community in the days leading up to Christmas.
“If you’re only defined as a basketball player, I think you’re doing it wrong,” said Sam Hauser, who was one of several players who reached out to the Celtics organization with a vision (and budget) for a holiday-themed giveback.
To kick things off, the entire team visited kids battling illness at Boston Children’s Hospital. Kash Cannon, the Celtics director for community engagement, said that the hospital visit is something players look forward to every season.
“It’s an easy ‘yes!’ every time we ask them to go,” Cannon said. “It’s just a tradition, especially around the holidays, when we have so many kids in the hospital that can’t go home, unfortunately. We just make it a priority to have that on our calendar every year.”
Additionally, in conjunction with the team-wide hospital visit, the Celtics hosted their 18th annual Auerbach Center party for youth.
On top of those team-wide events, several players reached out to the organization on their own accord, eager to give back ahead of the holidays and spearhead their own initiatives at their own expense. After players reach out, Cannon assesses which community group or school might be a good partner for that particular event, surveying the Celtics’ extensive network.
“I’ll call a school and say, “Hey, do you have a group of kids that need a pick me up? Or do you have a group of kids who’ve been doing really well in class, and you want to reward them?” Cannon said. “We try and use these types of opportunities as a tool in a school or community center’s toolbox to reward kids or to motivate them.”
Chris Boucher, who has previously experienced homelessness himself, opted to visit Bridge Over Troubled Waters, a shelter for youth experiencing homelessness. Joe Mazzulla accompanied him for an afternoon session of motivational talk.
Jaylen Brown spent an entire morning surprising schools (and homes) around the Boston area — from Charlestown to Roxbury — giving out envelopes of cash and his signature 741 Performance shoes, and streaming the whole thing on Twitch.
Jordan Walsh hosted a group of kids for a video game battle at the Auerbach Center and gifted each middle schooler an autographed jersey at the event’s conclusion.
Anfernee Simons hosted 50 boys at the PLAY arcade at Big Night Live for a night of food and competition.
And, Jayson Tatum’s foundation hosted their eighth annual Daddy and Deuce Toy and Coat drive in Tatum’s hometown of St. Louis.
Cannon said the player-driven events are a result of them understanding what it fundamentally means to be a Celtic.
“I think it’s the culture of the organization,” Cannon said. “We do so much every year; we lead the league in player appearances, especially in the community. It starts at the top. And our guys see that the superstars – Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, even Joe – they’re out in the community, like it’s normal for an off-day for you to go and do something in the community to give back. There’s just a standard and an expectation for a lot of the team to give back in some way or fashion.”
Sometimes, the Celtics’ community engagement department operates strategically, aiming to tackle a problem head-on and maximize the organization’s resources. Other times, it’s just about putting a smile on someone’s face, even if the Celtics can’t fundamentally change their situation.
“In situations where we feel like we can move the needle, we have to be strategic around what resources are going to that,” Cannon said. “And then in others, where it may be a hospital visit or just someone going through a hardship, we’re like, ‘Okay, let’s just have some of the guys go and visit.’ The different ways to make an impact. There are different ways to move the needle. And we try and just cover the gambit on that.”
Sam Hauser had been thinking about doing something for a while. Then, his wife, Mary, surfaced the idea of hosting a Christmas-themed shopping event for kids.
So, with the help of Cannon and the Celtics, Hauser took a group of kids from Dorchester’s Epiphany School shopping at L.L. Bean, and then walked with them to Snowport for some dessert.
“The kids loved it – they had so much fun,” Hauser said. “They would pretend to be my bodyguard and security, saying, ‘No pictures, no pictures.’ And then we took them down to Snowport, we got them some hot chocolate, and they loved that. We just tried to make it a fun night for them, and also help them out in a way. It was a lot of fun.”
Hauser gave each kid a budget to buy necessities, whether for warm clothes, winter coats, or water bottles. In turn, the kids picked his brain for basketball advice and talked his ear off with hoop tales from their daily basketball runs.
“They play 1-on-1 at recess,” Hauser said with a smile. “So I got the lowdown on a lot of things. One guy likes to shoot the three-ball. Another guy likes to play down low.”
Anfernee Simons brought both of his parents and his young child to an evening of video games and food with 50+ boys at an arcade downtown. It was his first real taste of interacting with Boston youth, and he got a kick out of their distinct lingo: “They just talk a little different here – there wasn’t really no slang in Portland.”
The teens didn’t know the Celtics guard was coming: “We played a highlight video of Anfernee, and then the boys turned around – and he was actually there in person,” Cannon said.
Simons, a six-year NBA veteran, has his own foundation, the Be A Light Foundation, which works to improve the social and economic trajectory for disadvantaged and at-risk children and young adults. This event was an opportunity for him to immerse himself in a city he’s still just acclimating to, while showing the Boston kids his true personality, without the cameras running.
“That’s why I wanted to just sit down and break bread with all the kids, and have them ask as many questions as they want, take pictures, hang out, play video games with each other, make it competitive,” Simons said.
Simons said he feels an obligation as an NBA player to give back, even at times when the NBA schedule feels hectic.
“We all are blessed in a certain way — especially us, like we are fortunate enough to bless others,” Simons said. “And I think that’s what this time is all about, just blessing others. That’s one of our responsibilities as NBA players – to give back and pay it forward to the community as well.”
For Cannon, all of the holiday events are a reflection of just how ingrained community engagement is at the organizational level. From the moment players are drafted by the Celtics, they are taught that community engagement will be central to their tenure.
Their first public appearance, shortly after draft night, is always at a local YMCA; this past year, it was Hugo Gonzalez, Amari Williams, and Max Shulga who were leading basketball drills at the Huntington YMCA.
And, Cannon begins the year with a comprehensive presentation to new players about the importance of giving back.
“We have an incredible roster of guys, an incredible organization that really puts the community first, and especially around the holidays, around the season of giving,” Cannon said. “It dates back to when we drafted Chuck Cooper – and then we have Bill Russell, and it’s just this foundation of community-first that our guys really buy into as soon as they join the team. And it’s just an incredible platform that we can leverage and show the world — not even just our community — that it’s way more than basketball.”
