SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Basketball has provided me a close glimpse at stars in, around and outside of the game, who converged most recently in New York City with celebrity lists that ran pages long. Spike Lee, Patrick Ewing and the droves of notable Knicks fans who packed into Madison Square Garden to watch their championship run, the occasional big name at TD Garden who tempts me to ask for a picture and the attendees across multiple Finals all paled in comparison to the lineup of legends in Western Massachusetts on Saturday.
James Harden rushed down the red carpet running down E. Columbus and turned toward the theater entrance, creating a buzz with his surprise, last-minute appearance for his former coach Mike D’Antoni. Steve Nash appeared alongside former Suns stars for Amar’e Stoudamire snapping photos out front. Women’s basketball royalty from Candace Parker to Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie lined up. Paul Pierce turned the corner, of course the lone legend arriving opposite of the red carpet entrance before Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen arrived later, Allen followed closely by Danny Ainge. Larry David even showed up.
Later, Doc Rivers, Pierce, Allen and Garnett joined on stage for one last ubuntu. Hardly a reunion after several ice-thawing appearances between the Celtics champions and Allen, but still an unthinkable moment 10 years ago.
“It was a goal, I could tell you that,” Rivers told CLNS Media on Friday. “I’m a big believer, and I’m gonna say this in my speech, but I think when you win it, you do have a blood transfusion. You should be together for life. Those three in particular have had their ups-and-downs, and the fact that they all three agreed to be together on the stage and have dropped the BS, is the way I’d like to put it, is just absolutely amazing. It may be my last great coaching feat, getting them together, but it wasn’t hard. That’s what was so shocking. All three of them, immediately, I called separately, and they all were quick to be added.”
The Hall of Fame announced Celtics icons Pierce and Garnett would introduce Rivers in Springfield, a face and voice of the game who began his coaching career in 1999 before leading Boston from 2004-2013. Rivers coached the Celtics’ Big Three, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and De’Andre Jordan in LA, Jordan attending on Saturday, before battling Boston with the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and later Harden. Those LA and Philadelphia years featured crushing playoff finishes before a controversial return to coaching with the Bucks led to the end of the Giannis Antetokounmpo era.
That all drew mixed opinions toward his record as his career waned, but Rivers stood as one of the league’s most important figures through crisis moments — the release of the Donald Sterling tapes in Los Angeles, the George Floyd protests and Bubble in 2020 and his last trip to Boston featured his spirited defense of his criticism of ICE against scrutiny from a reporter. Rivers told basketball stories on Saturday — a favorite from Boston coming during a preseason 8 a.m. duck boat meant to manifest the championship that also drew expletives and confusion from Garnett. But Rivers mostly focused on the people, his assistant coaches including Tom Thibodeau and Sam Cassell in attendance. His players. And mostly his family, late parents, his brother and wife, who received the bulk of his attention through his 20-minute speech.
“Standing here tonight, my voice is already raspy,” Rivers joked to open his speech and throughout the weekend. “This isn’t my real voice. Coaching stole it from me, those guys. I swear, I used to have a high voice, I used to be able to really sing. Can’t do that anymore.”
The rest of the weekend recalled a 2000s basketball era I grew up on that continues to become history. Dwyane Wade and Allen Iverson have long retired and filled two of fewer than 3,000 seats. Parker, who broke into Rivers’ press conference over my shoulder to banter with Rivers about Chicago, now broadcasts games. Jim Boeheim does too sometimes, who I watched and briefly covered through my Syracuse journey. It was hard to imagine what the crowd, relatively sparse this weekend, will look like when LeBron James enters sometime over the next decade, or when Michael Jordan gave his iconic speech nearly 20 years ago. Would there be an inch of sidewalk to stand on?
Rajon Rondo, who spent recent years studying on Rivers’ coaching staff, an unimaginable reunion in its own right, also showed up for Rivers on Saturday. Rivers expects Rondo to receive a call to the Hall too, as Rondo appears poised to begin a head coaching career. Joey Crawford went into the Hall too, recalling another iconic face of basketball from that era.
They all arrived in Springfield and walked down the front steps after like a high school graduation just wrapped. A smattering of fans awaited them hoping for an autograph or just a glimpse.
And while the weekend gave me a chance to ask Rivers a few more questions before he leaves the game to do nothing, as he described, for as long as he can, it meant more to stand and watch all the history in front of me. It won’t last forever.
“My mom was right, I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” Rivers wrapped before embracing Pierce, Allen and Garnett, who sat beside him. “Ubuntu. Thank you guys.”
