As the main suspect in the Maine killings was found dead after two days of trackingthe Celtics took advantage of the meeting against the Heat to pay tribute to the 18 victims, and the 13 injured, of the shooting.
Derrick White and his teammates played with a black “Maine” patch on their jerseys, and they also warmed up in outfits that displayed the name of the neighboring state.
The killing took place in Lewiston, a two-hour drive from Boston, and only a few kilometers from Portland, where the Maine Celtics, the G-League team of the Massachusetts franchise, play. The activities of the development franchise were also put on hold following the tragedy which affected the State.
— Maine Celtics (@MaineCeltics) October 26, 2023
For Joe Mazzulla, basketball players and NBA coaches cannot isolate themselves from the tragic events affecting the world, the coach also mentioning the current situation in Israel and Palestine.
“Sometimes basketball has to be an escape. But if it affects you, you can’t escape it. Can we create a level of empathy and understanding in a world where these kinds of things happen? Yes, we want to create an environment where we feel psychologically safe, but we must not lose sight of the fact that as soon as we leave this building, we are no longer protected from all this. And how can we manage in such a world? » asks the Celtics coach.
