Yes, seriously.
Can fans of your Los Angeles Lakers’ arch-rival, the Boston Celtics, actually root for L.A. players? According to one TV star, they can indeed.
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Multi-hyphenate actress/rapper/singer KaMillion, star of the hit HBO Max series “Rap Sh!t,” spoke about her Boston Celtics fandom with Bally Sports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson during a Bovada Sports interview.
When asked for her favorite NBA players, KaMillion included several Lakers greats, and mentioned zero Celtics:
“I mean, some of my favorite ballers, I would definitely have to say Kobe [Bryant]. I would definitely have to say LeBron [James]. And it’s crazy because I’m a Celtic fan, but I could not tell you who is on the team right now because I’ve just been honed in on ‘Bron, and I haven’t even really been paying attention to sports.”
A Celtics fan who doesn’t know that forward Jayson Tatum is shaping up to be one of the all-time best players for a team with a rich multi-generational history of Hall of Famers? Does she know the Celtics were just in the NBA Finals? The 6’8″ wing is currently a top-10 level talent in the league and a noted Bryant disciple. He has made three All-Star teams since 2020, and was just named to his inaugural All-NBA First Team this past season. Plus, the dude can tie a tie like no other.
It’s a bit surprising that KaMillion doesn’t cite some of the recent ex-Boston players who waged war against both James and Bryant in the playoffs through the years: 2008 Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett, 2008 Finals MVP Paul Pierce, two-time champion Ray Allen (who won his second NBA title as a LeBron teammate with the Miami Heat), or former four-time All-Star Rajon Rondo, who more recently was a Laker from 2018-2020, and again for parts of the 2021-22 season. KG, “The Truth,” and Jesus Shuttlesworth are all First Ballot Hall of Fame-level players. Rondo might have been had he not suffered a career-altering ACL tear that effectively transitioned him to a different phase of his career. But even well past his All-NBA prime, Rondo stepped up in the 2020 postseason for L.A. In this new “Playoff Rondo” guise, the 6’1″ Kentucky product served as probably the team’s third-best overall performer.
KaMillion, it should be noted, is actually a native of Jacksonville, Florida, meaning the closest NBA team to her geographically is the Orlando Magic.
It’s fun that, even living in Hollywood, KaMillion cheers for another club. One would hope she gets acclimated to a team that has a legitimate chance to contend for a championship in the years to come. Beyond Tatum, swingman Jaylen Brown seems poised to make multiple All-Star teams. Al Horford has made multiple All-Star appearances during his tenure with Boston. Starting point guard Marcus Smart is the reigning Defensive Player Of The Year. If Robert Williams III ever stays healthy, he could be in line for that accolade soon enough.
