During the Boston Celtics’ 18th NBA championship parade, fans erupted in an expletive-laden chant against Kyrie Irving. The hatred towards Irving, a former Celtics player, was obvious as supporters aired their long-standing displeasure with the Dallas Mavericks guard.
As the Celtics began their joyful procession for their 18th championship banner, Boston supporters celebrated on various notable figures from the franchise’s past and present as they rode along Boston’s main streets in duck traditional boats. Paul Pierce hoisted the trophy he helped win during the 2008 season, Jaylen Brown proudly held the Finals MVP plaque, and Jayson Tatum displayed the prized Larry O’Brien trophy to a raucous crowd.
The parade was a colourful blend of history and recent triumph, celebrating the team’s 4-1 victory over the Mavericks in the NBA Finals with food, music, and pounds of flowing green and white confetti raining from the sky. On-air reporters couldn’t help but notice the shouts directed towards Irving, which they acknowledged but couldn’t repeat on national television.
Social media footage showed Celtics fans parading down the sidewalks with small jerseys of Irving on sticks, representing his two-season stay in Boston from 2017 to 2018. As supporters booed the Dallas guard, shouts erupted, with the crowd chanting, “F— you, Kyrie,” demonstrating their enduring anger against the former Celtics star despite the joy.
Irving’s jersey number 11, which is now worn by Payton Pritchard, was a focal point for many Celtics supporters at the parade. Some fans wore Irving’s former jersey with expletives glued over his name to convey their displeasure with a prohibited four-letter word. Others crashed over metal guardrails to dump Irving jerseys onto the road, assuring that the parade’s banana boats would run over them as a show of disdain.
As the parade neared its conclusion, ABC reporters spoke with various fans about their experience. A 16-year-old fan expressed that witnessing Tatum, his favourite player, was an amazing experience. However, before the microphone was taken away from him, he added, “One more thing, Kyrie sucks,” encapsulating some supporters’ long-standing disdain of Irving.
Celtics fan parade around Kyrie jerseys
Another fan commented, “I’m just happy that Kyrie [Irving] got to understand that the world is only flat in Boston because it revolves around us. Now, I wonder what Kyrie is doing today? He’s probably trying to get his way back in, but it ain’t happening.”
After the final buzzer confirmed Boston’s triumph, Irving congratulated the team on its historic achievement. He immediately addressed standout guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, spending a brief moment with each. Then he paid his homage to assistant coach Sam Cassell and star forward Kristaps Porzingis. Irving continued down the line, praising the members of the Celtics’ bench.
Fans hopped the barricade to throw Irving jerseys in the road
“We call it animosity, we call it hate, we call it, ‘It’s going to be hell in Boston.’ I mean, there are real, live circumstances going on in the world that are bigger than basketball,” said Irving before Game 1. “Last time in Boston, I don’t think that was the best — not this regular season, but when [the Nets] played in the playoffs — and everyone saw me flip off the birds and kind of lose my [stuff] a little bit,” continued Irving.
“That wasn’t a great reflection of who I am and how I like to compete on a high level. It wasn’t a great reflection on my end towards the next generation on what it means to control your emotions in that type of environment. No matter what people are yelling at you.”