Getty Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics are one of the most storied franchises in all of professional sports. With legends like Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Paul Pierce hanging up in the rafters, the history in Boston runs deep. But even with the numerous legends who won multiple banners in Beantown, there’s one guy who will always be remembered despite only earning one ring – Kevin Garnett.
Garnett is known for his intensity both on and off the court, and despite only spending six years in Boston, fans absolutely adore him. And while most Celtics fans will have a favorite KG moment, not everyone can say that they’ve had a personal interaction with the Hall-of-Famer.
Celtics superfan Ryan O’Neill was highlighted in an episode of Fanatics, presented by the Celtics, shared a funny story of an interaction he had with The Big Ticket. O’Neill is a Celtics jersey and memorabilia collector, and one day, he managed to catch up to Garnett.
“Kevin was not the most friendly person off the court,” O’Neill explained. “So, it took me a couple months to get him to loosen up. We would chase him out of the Garden and hope that the stoplight turned red. Because if the stoplight turned red, we knew he had to stop and he couldn’t avoid us. So, eventually, I chased him to city blocks, the light turned red. He actually rolled his window down and talked to me.”
With how crazy Garnett acted on the court at times, it’s not surprising that he wasn’t very easy-going off the court, especially when it comes to fans chasing him down through the streets of Boston.
Garnett’s NSFW Response to Celtics Superfan
When O’Neill finally caught Garnett at the red light and got the superstar to open up, Garnett actually agreed to give him some memorabilia. But despite the kind gesture, Garnett also made sure O’Neill knew that this was a one-time thing.
“He actually rolled his window down and talked to me,” said O’Neill. “He signed an autograph, told me he would give me a pair of shoes, and then told me, verbatims, don’t ever bleeping ask me for anything again.
In the end, the interaction was a massive win for O’Neill. Not only did he get an autograph and a pair of shoes from Garnett, but now he also gets to tell people that he was cussed out by an NBA Hall-of-Famer. Try topping that at your next dinner party.
O’Neill’s Other Celtics Collectibles
While O’Neill’s Garnett story may be the highlight of his collection, he has some other pretty awesome items. One jersey, which he showed off in the video, was a collaboration with the Boston Red Sox.
“This is probably one of the most unique pieces I own,” O’Neill began. “To the naked eye, I’m sure it looks like it’s 34 Paul Pierce Celtics jersey. If you look closer, the 34 is printed in Red Sox font. And rather than Pierce on the back, it is the other number 34 in Boston sports history [David Ortiz.”
In addition, O’Neill has a multitude of Robert Williams jerseys, one of which is signed. The jersey, which Williams wore in The Bubble, comes with a funny story, too, as Time Lord forgot to sign his actual name when he autographed it.
“This one was worn in the bubble,” O’Neill told the Celtics. “Funny story is, I asked Rob to sign it, he forgot to sign his name, and only signed ‘Time Lord’.”
O’Neill’s collection is incredible. He has jerseys from every era of Celtics basketball. And while the Williams jerseys are cool, as is the Pierce/Ortiz collaboration, nothing will top his unique run-in with Garnett.
