Celtics met with emotional reminder of what dodging the luxury tax cost them

As soon as Xavier Tillman Sr. stepped on the TD Garden parquet for his pregame workout, he hit the deck to (partially) pay off a push-up debt to Boston Celtics assistant coach God Shammgod Jr.

“A man who pays his debts,” Shammgod hollered out to the collection of media sitting courtside.

Of course, Tillman Sr., now a member of the Charlotte Hornets, was much more than just an honorable debt-payer with the Celtics.

“When he's been on the floor for us, he's been impactful,” Joe Mazzulla praised pregame. “But just impactful in the locker room. Just being there for all the players and really, just great relationships with the staff as well. So, you know, we're very fortunate to have him and happy to see him out there.”

Tillman Sr. played a role in the Celtics’ NBA Championship run in 2024, after joining the team at the trade deadline that season. Most notably, his defense on Luka Doncic during the finals where he made things difficult for the then-Dallas Mavericks star in his short stints. The big moment, however, was his timely corner three in Game 3 of that series.

His playing time in Boston was never consistent due to the team’s high-volume of quality big men, though. Even so, his presence in the locker room was well documented during his time with the Celtics.

That time came to an end over an hour after the trade deadline's unoffical end, when Boston dealt him to Charlotte as part of a larger play to dodge the luxury tax.

“Winning the championship, of course,” Tillman Sr. said of what stands out about his two years with the Cs. “I just think the relationships I was able to build while being here. I think about guys like Jordan, and think about guys like Payton and Sam and Neemi, and then, obviously, all the staff.

“Those guys were like, you know, we're playing cards together. We're actually building genuine bonds and stuff like that. I mean, a lot of the guys, I really, I really appreciate just the relationships.”

The 27-year-old was met with a “thank you” video package from the Celtics in his first game back in Boston.

Xavier Tillman is quickly making a similar impact in the Hornets' locker room

Tillman Sr. hasn’t seen many minutes as a Hornet to this point. He’s made just six appearances in his first month with the team, only averaging 2.3 minutes in each. Nonetheless, he’s quickly made a similar impression in Charlotte as he did with Boston.

“He's one of the best locker room presence you can have in the league,” former Celtics forward Grant Williams said. “I bet you everyone here in Boston would say the same.”

Hornets head coach Charles Lee had an idea for what his group was in store for when they acquired the former Celtics big man. Lee got to know Tillman Sr. quite well during their shared half season in 2024.

“X, he brought a joy to the building every day. He works extremely hard. He gets along with his teammates, and we needed that veteran presence,” Lee explained of what he saw from Tillman Sr. during their shared time with the Celtics “…He interacts and talks about his experiences and builds relationships with our players really well. So I was looking forward to just getting a guy that I think can help be a good veteran in our locker room and help our young players as we continue on throughout this season and journey.”

As the Hornets navigate their first successful season in quite sometime, there’s no doubt that X will help their group gel together.