Steve Kerr knew it was coming, and Boston Celtics fans lets the Warriors coach hear it before Wednesday's game at TD Garden.
After benching Celtics star Jayson Tatum in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kerr was met with a resounding chorus of boos from a Boston contingent that clearly was displeased by the Team USA coach's lineup decisions this past summer.
Do you think Celtics fans still are mad about the Olympics? 😅 pic.twitter.com/RZmsPqMD7b
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 7, 2024
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Tatum received two DNP-CDs (did not play due to coach's decision) throughout the Olympics and sometimes played sparingly in games. Celtics fans already have directed plenty of ire Kerr's way in the aftermath, but Wednesday was their first chance to say something about it in person.
Listen to the boos in Boston when Steve Kerr was just introduced pic.twitter.com/9rK9I9XLmC
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) November 7, 2024
Ahead of the 2022 NBA Finals rematch, Kerr jokingly predicted he would be met with plenty of love in Boston.
"I'm excited. I think the fans are really going to cheer for me," Kerr told KNBR's "Tolbert & Copes" on Tuesday in a reply dripping with sarcasm. "Because you know what I did this past summer -- I played Jrue Holiday and Derrick White a ton, and given that both guys are Celtics and the fact that Tatum also played a huge role in the proceedings, all three guys, major factors, and we won the gold medal.
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"This is America. It's the day after Election Day. I think Celtics fans are going to welcome me with open arms, and maybe even bouquets of roses. ... Heartfelt."
Well, there's no denying there was plenty of heart behind the boos at TD Garden on Wednesday.