The Celtics-Knicks rivalry is NOT the nail-biter of the NBA weekend every time the rivals meet. Even in the last season, the Knicks went 1-4 against the Cs. Surprisingly the Knicks reached the Conference Semi-finals last season and challenged the mighty Pacers. However, the Celtics, a bit of an elite squad, and its fans don’t consider the New York team to be of their stature yet. And it seems the philosophy has moved much beyond the NBA court, to the US Open through Nick Kyrgios!

Apparently, the 7x ATP Singles winner has a history of fandom with the Boston Celtics. He recently got the chance to express it once again on a public platform. However, he used it to take a jab at Frances Tiafoe, who appeared for practice at the US Open in New York. The 26-year-old is a well-known name in the world of Tennis, but his Julius Randle jersey attire irked Nick Kyrgios. Pointing it out, Nick expressed his disappointment, saying, “I know I’m in New York, but come on, man…Randle? I might accept Brunson!”

It seems like Kyrgios missed last season’s performance from 3x NBA All-Star, as he averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5 assists. Nevertheless, it was not the end of the roast from Kyrgios as he further added, “Where’s an Al Horford jersey?… A Luke Kornet jersey would look better…Get that guy some green right now!” The mention of 5x NBA All-Star Al Horford seems genuine.

But Luke Kornet! Seriously?

Julius Randle deserves better than that, Nick. Kornet averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds on 70% field goal percentage last season. Nevertheless, you might be thinking about the fact that how the outspoken tennis star is an avid NBA fan, let alone the Celtics angle. Well, we’ve got a little story for you!

How did Nick Kyrgios fall in love with the Boston Celtics?

In 2016, Nick Kyrgios admitted publicly and gave fans an insight into why the 29-year-old loves the NBA and the Celtics so much. Unexpectedly, the green blood got into the veins of the Australian star through video games. As he described, when he was 11 years old in 2006, he got his first NBA Live game on PlayStation Portable. And it was a random pick for Nick Kyrgios, as he chose the Boston Celtics over everyone else since he found their logo cool.

Kyrgios also had a basketball background, as he played on an Australian junior league team. But after turning 14, he chose tennis as a career and limited his time to basketball. Also, the NBA’s airing time in the States did not match the Australian time zone. But as his bonding with the Celts got better, Nick’s father got him a Foxtel box to watch some games live on ESPN. As time passed, Kyrgios developed another core memory in his fan journey, after the Boston side got Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in a trade in 2008.

Since then, Nick Kyrgios has adopted KG as his spirit animal and an inspiration. The fandom part is still not over! Nick is a huge Boston fan, though he has not visited TD Garden yet. Would you like to see Nick Kyrgios cheering for the Cs next season? Let us know in the comments.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger