BOSTON – As Marcus Smart warmed up to play against his former team for the first time Saturday night, his wife Maisa had his hands full in the front row at TD Garden. She carried her two-month-old son Zayn and introduced him to a number of old friends.

According to Smart, the pair planned for Zayn to leave the arena before tipoff. Still, Smart felt it was important to bring his firstborn child to the building he once called his home court. Smart wanted to introduce Zayn to his former Boston Celtics teammates and staff for the first time. Plus, Smart said The athleteHe wanted to create memories that father and son could look back on in the future.

“It will be something I can show him when he grows up and he will understand it as he gets older,” Smart said.

After his usual pre-game warm-up, Smart posed for photos with Zayn and Maisa on the sidelines. In a few years, Smart wants to show Zayn pictures and videos from the night his father faced the Celtics for the first time in the city where he spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career. Although Zayn couldn’t understand everything Saturday night when Boston lost 127-121 to the Memphis Grizzlies, Smart wanted his son to experience love in the arena.

“One day,” Smart said, “he will be able to understand, he will be able to see the impact his father had on the city and the team where he began his journey.”

Smart never missed the playoffs with the Celtics. He helped them reach the Finals in 2022 and the Eastern Conference Finals four other times. He ranks fourth in franchise history in career steals and fifth in 3-point shots made.

But as much as Smart brought to the franchise on the field, his connection to the city of Boston went far beyond his athletic achievements. Fans fell in love with him because of his fierceness as a competitor. For the intensity of his feelings. For his willingness to put himself on the floor, overcome injuries, and engage in any fight his team asked of him. He donated time and resources to local hospitals and was active in the community.

“The ultimate Celtic,” Jayson Tatum said. “He will always be a Celtic for life.”

Smart now plays for the Grizzlies. Smart was injured in both games against the Celtics last season and had never played against the Celtics before Saturday. With 8:50 minutes left in the first quarter, he received a standing ovation. He raised his arm to acknowledge the loud reception and then walked across the court to defend Tatum. Perhaps affected by the emotions of the night, Smart scored just 3 points on 1-for-11 shooting.

Smart has come to terms with the Celtics organization’s decision to trade him as part of a three-way trade for Kristaps Porziņģis and two first-round picks in 2023. As for basketball, Smart thinks the trade for Boston is great. The news of the deal still hurt at the time. Like Tatum, who said he never imagined playing without Smart, Smart wanted to stay in Boston. He wore his hair green. He played the game with heart and selflessness, two qualities the city values ​​most. The Celtics had a 25-57 record with Smart the season before the draft. He helped bring them back into contention and kept them there throughout his tenure. Shortly after the trade, Brad Stevens told Smart, “The greatest legacy you can leave is being somewhere, and it’s better off because you were there.”

“And I think everyone here feels that way,” Stevens said at the time.

Although Smart didn’t win a ring in Boston, organization members believe he helped lay the foundation of the team that did.

“I always say that the people who have moved the Celtics forward make this job what it is,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Even before I got here, he made his mark on the city with the way the fans responded to him and the way his teammates looked after him. How hard he plays every night. For me, it’s an opportunity to thank him for that and the people before us.”

Before Saturday’s game, Smart congratulated the staff he hadn’t seen since winning the finals in June. Although it must have been a bittersweet feeling to see his former team win a ring after trading him, he said he was very happy for the Celtics as they ended a 14-year championship drought.

“Of course you want to be there, but it happens, excuse my French,” Smart said. “Sh- happens. You just have to keep going. There are no hard feelings. I know what these guys have been through. I know what they sacrificed. So I’m just proud to see that they finally achieved their goal.”

If not for the other side of things, Smart probably would have appreciated the Celtics’ performance on Saturday, if not their execution. During their fifth game in seven nights, they mustered enough energy to overcome a 14-point deficit in the second half despite shooting poorly for most of the game. They gave themselves a chance to win by grabbing 15 offensive rebounds, including 11 in the second half, before faltering late in the fourth quarter.

“Those are the games you just have to get through,” Jaylen Brown said. “Tough schedule but we don’t make excuses. We know what the journey is about and don’t miss any steps. I thought we fought as a team. We didn’t let go of the rope. We haven’t given up. In any case, some shots didn’t go in. A very ugly game – turnovers – it just didn’t feel like a normal Celtics game. But I will give us credit: we fought. We fought until the end.”

Just like Smart would have done. For him and the Celtics, Saturday night was about more than just basketball. It was an opportunity to see family again. Brown called it strange to compete with his old friend.

“But it was great,” Brown said. “Marcus is a family member at this point. So it’s great to be able to see him off the field, congratulate him on starting a family and so on.”

Unfortunately, not everyone on the Celtics got to meet Zayn. When Derrick White saw Maisa before the game, she told him that they had just brought the baby back to the hotel. White said it still means a lot to him that Smart wanted to introduce his child to the Celtics.

“When you become a parent, you want to showcase your child in some way,” White said. “And I think he saw us all becoming parents and then he entered that world. And we have seen the relationship between him and Maisa over the years. I wish I had met him. I’m sure he’s adorable. Congratulations to both of them.”

The memories of Saturday would stay with Smart forever. One day he will tell his son the story of the night. The story of how the city enveloped Smart in love once again.

“I think my legacy will speak for itself,” Smart said. “I don’t know how my legacy will end here, what story will be told. But I know I did my part and I think I made such a difference that it should be good.”

(Top photo of Marcus Smart riding Jayson Tatum: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)