BOSTON — Josh Minott loves TD Garden. “I just love this place so much, man,” Minott said after the Boston Celtics’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. “This place just brings me so much happiness.” As fans roared post-game, Minott stood there with Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston just soaking in the scenes. But it’s more than that. Minott doesn’t just love TD Garden.
He loves Boston.
On Tuesday night, roughly 60 kids from the Ruxbury area swarmed him as he helped the Celtics and New Balance unveil a new gym renovation at the YMCA. The event commemorated the beginning of the Jr. Celtics Academy (JCA) program Path to the Paint presented by New Balance, and marked the seventh renovation completed in partnership with New Balance.
As the kids sprinted on the court, surrounding him, Minott smiled. He smiled the entire night. Even when he had to shoot free throws in a competition with the youth in attendance, the grin never left his face.
“I love it, man,” he said after the event. “Just the opportunity to be able to just come out and just be a part of the community on more of a personal level, you know. It's different when there's 20,000 people yelling at you, but I feel a lot more connected now, especially with the youth.
“It's just a blessing, man. I love the opportunity to be able to come out here and just interact with the community.”
After being drafted in 2022, Minott spent three years in Minnesota, where he failed to crack the Timberwolves’ rotation. In three seasons, he never played more than 6.4 minutes per game.
Through his first eight games with the Celtics, he’s played 20.9 minutes per game and has become a staple of the starting lineup.
But that’s not the only difference Minott has enjoyed since leaving Minnesota.
“Truthfully, in three months here, I've probably been outside of my place more than three years in Minnesota,” he said with a smile. “I've just been exploring a lot. Just getting to know the environment. I mean, it's a lot bigger of a city, for sure. A lot more to do, a lot more people to see.
“Just trying not to be just stuck in my shell at home, stuff like that. Really just go out and get to know Boston.”
It’s only been a few months, but Minott is already trying to get the whole Boston experience.
“Been to a lot of Italian spots in the North End,” he said. “[La] Summa’s really good. Like that place. Just a lot of good food spots.”
Unfortunately, that also means the downside of Boston in November. “Went to one beach out here, wasn't that good,” Minott laughed. “I forgot the name. Don't even ask me. But it was pretty small.”
Minott’s love for TD Garden and the new city he calls home (at least temporarily) is matched by his value for being part of the community.
As he dribbled up and down the court on Tuesday, leading drills and giving the kids in attendance a night they’ll remember for a long, long time, he couldn’t help but think about when he was in their shoes.
“I've been playing this game for as long as I can remember,” said Minott. “From like two years old, Little Tykes, all that. Me personally, growing up in South Florida, I actually went to the Miami Heat camp. I'm 23 this month, and I'm still remembering that. I still remember taking pictures with James Jones, and [Erik] Spoelstra was there and everything. And that was like 14 years ago. Around that. So, it just shows the impact it's had on my life.”
Fast forward to now, and the same kid who was excited to see Jones and Spoelstra is the guy whom kids all over Boston were thrilled to meet.
And Minott couldn’t have been happier to live that part of the experience.
“To be able to come back here and kind of do the same thing for others, it's kind of like a full-circle moment,” Minott said. “I never would have thought I would be the counselor. It feels amazing, man, just to be here.”