Father’s Day means something to the Boston Celtics.
They’re competing for an NBA championship and their place in Celtics history, but they’re also humans. And in many cases, they are also fathers.
After losing 38 points, Jayson Tatum was ready to reset, on and off the court.
“I’m excited to come home, celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday and compete for a championship on Monday,” Tatum said after Game 4. “So it should be a lot of fun.”
Fatherhood has its challenges. Real life is much more important than the waves on the court of a basketball game. Being a dad united the fathers of the team.
“There are quite a few guys who have young children. I’ve joked before, sometimes it’s like it’s a completely different NBA from when you didn’t have kids to when after that,” Luke Kornet said in March. “And I definitely feel like it’s a lot of responsibility, but it also helps clarify a lot of things in your life in terms of priorities. And I feel like that’s the case for parents, no matter what. Now you really know what you are working for and where all your efforts are going.
“And being able to love your kids and take care of them is like the most rewarding job you have in your life.” So, it’s definitely something that I think bonds us, and I feel like it bonds everyone who’s a parent. For sharing this experience.
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But sometimes, players’ fatherhood is reflected in their professional lives.
“Have you seen Luke Kornet dancing to the Moana soundtrack?” Hauser said with a laugh.
Celtics dads love Moana. It is one of the most popular movies across the board.
“Moana is an elite film,” said Derrick White.
While it may not be the same catchy music that gets most gamers going, the songs are certainly well-known. And Kornet led the charge.
“Moana is great,” he says. “Very beautiful songs that really touch the heart.”
Kornet even added the soundtrack for motivation in the weight room.
“He threw it. Him and I were in the weight room, and obviously I have three kids of my own, so I know the soundtrack,” Tillman said.
And obviously, Tillman couldn’t stop singing.
“Absolutely. I know the soundtrack,” he said. “I’ve heard the soundtrack at least 300 times in my life.”
White wouldn’t have hesitated to get in on the action, either.
“I wasn’t there when they put on the Moana soundtrack, but I was singing, yes,” he said.
The ebbs and flows of Moana include a wide variety of songs. Auliʻi Cravalho and The Rock make sure to encapsulate the full range of emotions depicted throughout the film, and the Celtics appreciate it.
And they all have their favorite songs, of course.
“You are welcome” said Blanc. “It’s the first thing that comes to mind. I don’t know if it’s my favorite, but it’s the first thing that comes to mind.
“I guess it’s the – I don’t even know the name of the song – I guess I can tell you the scene in the movie where it’s in,” Tillman said. “The scene sees her evolve from a young child to a teenager, and they sing about their family and their village and how she must protect them, because they will protect her.” It is How far will I gofor you no-Moana heads.
As for Kornet, he likes everything. But There where you are is his favorite, even if the name of the piece escaped him at the time.
“Alright, so there’s You are welcome, How far will I go, and what’s the third song I think of? » Kornet said. “What is the song with the family and the father starts singing? Because it’s probably (my favorite). Who are you? Or something like that? Something like that.
“I like to stay by the water” Kornet sang, trying to remember the name of the song. “Grandma gets a little part of it. Yeah. It’s a great song.”
The Celtics dads seem to have united around Moana, but the rest of the team isn’t energized by the soundtrack in the same way.
“No, definitely not,” Hauser replied with a smile when asked if he was motivated by the Moana soundtrack. “Luke is, though. Good for him.”
That said, earlier this year Hauser announced that he and his wife were expecting their first child, so his appreciation for Moana might just be a thing of the future.
Photo by Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
The pressure and intensity of the NBA Finals took center stage for Boston, and rightly so. They have a chance to make history tomorrow night, a chance to hang Banner 18 from the rafters, becoming legends in a franchise full of them.
But some things are more important than basketball. Fatherhood and being a son are perfect examples of this.
“I try to be as present as possible,” Tillman said. “Obviously, with my father recently passing away, it’s a difficult thing to talk about, but I don’t know. I am happy. My kids celebrated me today, so that was pretty cool. My wife celebrated me today, so that was pretty cool. I hope my brothers and sisters are well at home.
It’s a chance to appreciate those we love and receive an appreciation that may not be expressed on a daily basis, although it is always there.
“It’s awesome,” Jrue Holiday said. “I was actually the first one up today, which is weird. Usually I sleep. But it was cool having the kids. I had breakfast and really enjoyed seeing them. I mean, being in love and playing. It was a great morning.
“It was a nice, relaxing day,” White said. “I spent time with the children. My dad is in town and (I) spent some time with him. Just try to enjoy it.
Being a dad is not easy. NBA players make millions of dollars, but nothing can prepare a person for the challenges of fatherhood, especially emotionally.
And for some, these obstacles are unexpected.
“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason,” Jayson Tatum said. “When I found out I was going to be a dad, I was still at university. I had about a week or two left. I wasn’t happy. I was a little selfish at that point because I knew I was about to chase my dream and be in the NBA. I felt like it was going to affect what people thought of me, affect where I went in the draft.
“So I’ll be the first to say that I wasn’t very happy to find out that I was going to be a dad, and I quickly realized that it was like the best thing that could happen to me.”
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
But sometimes the unexpected turns out to be incredible.
“There’s nothing better than being a dad,” Tatum continued. “I think, especially for me and my first year in the NBA at 19, it taught me responsibility. Because it’s hard to be 19 and become famous and this new fortune. No one can, I suppose, help you or prepare you for what it means to be 19 and have millions of dollars.
“And I think – not that I think, but I know that having Deuce at that age grounded me. Because whatever decision I wanted to make, I had to make sure he was taken care of. I couldn’t just get up and leave or do whatever some of my peers did because I had to go home and put him to bed. Or for Father’s Day weekend, I was going out of town or… I had to skip that trip with my friends because it was my weekend with him. Not that it’s a sacrifice. I would happily choose these things.
Fatherhood is beautiful. Whether that takes shape in Josh Horford’s in-season road trips with his father, Al, in Tatum’s appreciation for Deuce displayed in their pre- and post-game rituals, or in the team’s paternal bond around the Moana soundtrack, it all means the same thing. .
The Celtics are a team fighting for a championship, but for a large majority of them, they’re also a team of fathers fighting to be the best fathers they can be.
And one of those things is way more important than the other.
“It taught me responsibility and taught me how to make the right decisions,” Tatum said. “Knowing that there’s a six-year-old mini-me that’s basically monitoring everything I do and knowing that I have to be the best version of myself.” I have to make the right decisions because he is always watching.
