Freshly-minted Boston Celtics big man Vincent Poirier is excited to officially join the team, and let the world know it, crafting a message to old fans and new on his Instagram account to proclaim it.
Poirier, who made his way to the NBA this season after an unsuccessful attempt a few seasons back in much the way as Boston center Daniel Theis did before him (and fellow Frenchman Guerschon Yabusele may as well after being waived by the team last week), last played for Spain’s Baskonia, where his outstanding play caught the attention of a frontcourt-starved Celtics.
Baskonia plays in the Liga ACB and Euroleague, two of the better foreign leagues in the world, the latter of which Poirier led in rebounding last season.
Thankful to the organization that created the chance to land in the NBA, the French big man let Baskonia how crucial the entire organization was to that outcome in his Instagram post:
“First, I would like to thank the big Baskonia family for all the love and support they gave me over these 2 years … “,
Being certain to include what seemed like everyone with a stake in Baskonia’s success, from teammates and coaching staff all the way down to fans and anyone else who might have helped him on his journey.
Poirier continued, waxing poetic about the stature of the organization he’s joining:
“Today I realize my dream by joining the NBA and the mythical franchise of the Boston Celtics, I have a great thought for my friends and relatives, but especially for my father who I know looks at me from the above …”
While “mythical” might be a bit much for some, I’m taking the Euroleague’s 2019 leading rebounder to have meant something in line with Merriam Webster’s definition of the term, which is something based on:
“a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon”,
That interpretation of the term, at least, seems to match Boston’s identity as an NBA franchise.
Even if it was simply a bad attempt at translating his thoughts from his native French, it’s clear that Poirier is both excited to play for a team he clearly holds in high regard and ready for a second stab at sticking in the league.
If what’s being seen in hype videos circulating among curious Celtics fans is any indication of what we might see from Poirier once comfortably ensconced in Boston’s rotation, the former Baskonia standout should be around for several more seasons beyond this one.
