Getty Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics reacts with Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics after the Celtics score against the Washington Wizards.
Marcus Smart is the longest tenured Boston Celtics player, and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year for 2021-2022.
But Smart, it seems, can lay claim to another title as well – statistically, he might be the most hated player in the NBA on social media.
According to research conducted by the Action Network, 41.03% of all tweets directed at Smart were negative – the highest percentage of any NBA player. Draymond Green was second at 38.27%, while Bam Adebayo placed third at 37.33%. Trae Young – who has repeatedly incurred the wrath of the vocal (and sizable) New York Knicks fanbase – placed fourth.
Like Young, Green’s inclusion is pretty easy to explain, even before he punched Jordan Poole in the face during the preseason. A lifelong instigator, Green has a history of kicking opponents in the groin semi-accidentally, and he is one of the NBA’s most prolific trash-talkers. During the 2022 NBA Finals, Green and Celtics forward Grant Williams repeatedly had to be separated as they yapped at each other, and Celtics fans serenaded Green with profane chants.
Here’s Why Smart Was No. 1
Smart taking the top spot is likely due to a combination of factors. Celtics fans sometimes grow frustrated with his shot selection, especially behind the arc. Opposing fans, meanwhile, probably don’t enjoy the way he badgers their teams defensively, nor his flopping. Smart developed a reputation for exaggerating contact – so much so that popular NBA podcast “The Old Man & the Three” featuring JJ Redick compiled some of his best flops and showed them to Smart as part of a live episode in February.
Smart, who appeared to find the compilation hilarious, defended his actions as “strategical” on one particularly noteworthy flop against Raptors star Pascal Siakam in the postseason.
“They just put in the new challenge rule, and as you know that’s a playoff game,” Smart told Redick. “So in my mind, I’m thinking, ‘If I can get the ref to call it in my favor, what is Toronto going to do? They’re going to challenge it, which means they’re going to use their challenge that they cannot have in the fourth quarter, when we still have ours.’”
That’s not the only time Smart has defended flopping as a strategy.
“I flop on defense, your favorite player flops on offense,” he told reporters in 2019. “That’s the only difference. Especially in a game where the offense has nothing but the advantage, the defense has to do something to get the advantage back.”
Other Players Received More Negative Tweets Total
While Smart had the highest percentage of negative tweets directed at him, many other players have experienced significantly more volume. According to the Action Network’s research, LeBron James received 117,764 negative tweets to claim the top spot, while Ja Morant received 107,056. Ben Simmons placed third with 102,340. Simmons’ teammate and former Celtics star Kyrie Irving received 72,710, which placed him sixth on the list. Smart was not part of the top 10 by volume.
The Celtics appreciate Smart in spite of (or maybe because of) his reputation.
“Smart is Smart,” interim Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters after a recent practice on October 16. “He plays so hard, so he’s going to get those knicks and knacks, but we fully trust he’ll always be fully ready to play.”