Family group texts are common. For the Boston Celtics, the bond of the 2008 title team is so strong that over a decade later, they’re still talking.
The 2008 Boston Celtics were a tight-knit group and an extremely successful one at that. The Celtics would go on that year to win the NBA Finals, beating the Los Angeles Lakers in an exciting 6-game series.
They’re a superteam that the Celtics should still be trying to re-create.
12 years later, that 2008 title run absolutely still holds a special place in the hearts of Celtics fans, but it also still plays a part in the day-to-day life of the members of that extremely talented team.
A key group of the 2008 title team has a group text in which they regularly communicate according to Jackie MacMullan of ESPN.
Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen, and head coach Doc Rivers are all on the chain chatting regularly.
Notably omitted is Ray Allen, though his omission shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. There’s some bad blood between him and key members of the Celtics due to his decision to leave the team and join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in Miami to hunt for a title in South Beach.
MacMullan reported that the most active texters are the retired players, and that Rajon Rondo (playing for the Los Angeles Lakers) and Doc Rivers (coaching the LA Clippers) are sporadic, but do check in on a regular basis with the group chat. Understandably so, as Rondo and Rivers are quite busy outside of social distancing days.
It started with a simple Christmas message, according to Kendrick Perkins, from Doc Rivers.
"“By reaching out like that, it just got everybody talking all sorts of noise. As usual, KG was the loudest. He said to me on that first text chain, ‘Don’t you start getting too comfortable in Oklahoma, Perk. You know where your real family is.'”"
Perkins called his relationship with these guys one of brotherhood, with Rivers acting as the father figure, especially for Perkins.
Perkins admitted to MacMullan that he and Rivers didn’t talk much after he traded Perkins to the OKC Thunder. Perkins was hurt about his father figure trading him, but it’s not surprising that it happened. Rivers, after all, saw his own biological son traded away from the LA Clippers while he was coaching the team.
If former NBA competitors at the highest level aren’t too big to show some love to those around them, you can too. Go ahead, grab that phone and text your family, your friends from school, spread some love!
We could all use that mindset these days.