Celtics celebrate 18th title in franchise history with duck boat parade

The duck boats that carried the players through the parade route are now headed back at TD Garden.

A smaller number of fans are on hand while the boats bring the players back.

The parade has come to an end, after a bit more than an hour of festivities.

Coverage of the parade is continuing on WBZ-TV and CBS News Boston.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was all smiles during the parade.

Standing in his duck boat, Mazzulla fired up the crowd as the parade made its way through Copley Square and toward Hynes Convention Center.

Continuing a New England parade tradition, WBZ-TV sports director Steve Burton connected on a long-distance pass to a player on the moving duck boat.

Burton connected in the past with Tom Brady during Patriots parades.

On Friday, he tossed a basketball to Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and others.

The parade is making its way down Boylston Street.

Chants of "Let's go Celtics!" could be heard from the crowd, along with a not as family friendly chant about Kyrie Irving.

Jaylen Brown is showing off his NBA Finals MVP trophy.

Perched atop his duck boat, Brown could be seen taking a photo of the scene and his trophy with his cellphone.

Celtics legend Paul Pierce is among those on a duck boat for the parade.

He was holding up the Larry O'Brien championship trophy as the rally made its way through the city.

The duck boats are rolling!

The parade got underway around 11:15 a.m.

Confetti was flying as the boats made their way down Causeway Street.

The parade appears to be moments away from starting.

Players and coaches are loading onto duck boats near TD Garden.

Once the parade begins, it will turn onto Causeway toward the throngs of fans.

When Jayson Tatum was introduced at TD Garden he took the floor with the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Players are now beginning to load the duck boats.

Al Horford arrived for the parade with a shirt sporting a photo of Tom Brady during his Super Bowl parade that he had with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You may remember that Brady got a bit inebriated during that celebration, and needed help getting his sea legs back.

Horford's shirt displayed that scene, and Brady saw it after the Celtics tweeted out an image of Al's arrival. Brady is a big fan of the look.

Now we'll see how much the 38-year-old Horford enjoys himself in his first-ever parade celebrating an NBA championship.

Celtics reserve Svi Mykhailiuk is getting a lesson on what it's like to live in Boston.

Mykhailiuk said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he doesn't quite know what he's getting into.

It won't take long for Mykhailiuk to get up to speed.

Celtics players were introduced by the team's public address announcer and came out to center court inside TD Garden.

Former Celtics player Brian Scalabrine hosted a panel discussion, asking each player questions about the championship run.

"So special, so sweet to be able to do it here and win it here in Boston. For me that was the most special part about it," Al Horford said.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu credited the Celtics ownership group for "reminding the world that bold leadership pays off."

"This was a team willing to face challenging decision, face the non-believers, and work together to build something extraordinary. As a result, Boston is home to the undisputed greatest team in the NBA," Wu said.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey began the TD Garden pre-parade festivities. 

"Thank you for honoring the Celtics tradition. For this team in particular, we are in love with this team. Because it is a team and they have given us so much," Healey said after taking the microphone. "Today we're going to party and celebrate the Boston Celtics."

Healey praised the Celtics for their work on the floor and also in the community.

The Celtics shared photos of players arriving at TD Garden for the party.

Jaylen Brown's attire is noteworthy as he is wearing a shirt that says "STATE YOUR SOURCE."

Stephen A. Smith had a segment in May on ESPN where he said people do not like Brown because he has a big ego and is not marketable. "State your source," Brown replied.

Derrick White has a new ride. The Celtics guard, in conjunction with Sam Adams, has purchased a duck boat. At least he did in an ad for the Boston beer company.

"I got a new trophy, a new tooth, I got a new beer -- and now I need a new ride," White says in the ad, which is a follow up to his incredible "My Cousin from Boston" commercial earlier this season.

It's another quality commercial for White, who is seen driving around the city in his duck boat. He even takes it into the water when he realizes the Sumner Tunnel is closed.

It was a nice preview for White, who is going to get a lot of love from Celtics fans while on a duck boat throughout the day on Friday.

The pre-parade festivities inside TD Garden are getting underway.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Celtics players are expected to speak during this portion of the event. 

You can watch WBZ's Celtics Parade of Champions, Sponsored by TD Bank, throughout the parade.

Boston sports fans love to celebrate titles, and they are out in masses already with the parade still over an hour away. The sidewalks are already jam-packed, roughly 10-people deep in some spots along the route.

We knew this was coming based on the giant crowd that braved the hot temps for a chance to meet Al Horford during his event at Raising Cane's on Thursday. But this is why players will say there is nothing like winning in Boston, and the 2024 champion Celtics are about to get a taste of it all.

Former Boston police commissioner Bill Evans joined CBS News Boston to talk about what it's like to plan a major public event like a championship parade.

"There's so much unrest in the world, so much craziness going on, you never can take safety for granted," Evans said.

Evans said he hopes paradegoers safely celebrate.

"I know you have to hydrate but use water not alcohol," Evans said with a laugh.

Duck boat drivers are just as excited for the big day as fans.

Boston Duck Boat pilot Julia Larson told WBZ-TV earlier in the week that it is a suspenseful process waiting to learn who will get to participate in the parade.

Larson said the company tells pilots the night before the parade who was selected to participate. 

Friday will actually be the second duck boat ride of the season for Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla. He revealed in a radio interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak and Bertrand on Thursday.

With a handful of new coaches joining his staff ahead of the 2023-24 season, Mazzulla wanted them all to get a feel for Boston.

"On most coaching retreats, guys go away, go to Cape Cod or go to different places. We had our coach's retreat in downtown Boston," he said. "We had new staff members and we were creating this identity of building a connection to the city. And I said, 'We're doing our staff retreat in Boston. We're going to dinner in Boston, we're going to a Boston hotel and we're going to do the duck boat tour so we can understand the city and the history. We need to know what this is really about."

"We did one at the beginning of the year, and we're going to end with one," said Mazzulla.

Mazzulla said that he is looking forward to the fan reaction throughout Friday's parade. But he's mostly excited to watch his players enjoy themselves after all their hard work throughout the season.  

A "2024 World Champions" banner was hung on the back of one of the duck boats Friday morning.

A Woburn company tasked with creating the banners was featured on WBZ-TV ahead of the parade.

They don't call Boston the "city of champions" for nothing.

Boston teams have won a dozen titles since 2000.

The big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen brought home the last Celtics title in 2008.

The Patriots have won six Super Bowls, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011, and the Red Sox were World Series winners in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018.

City officials are urging fans to take public transportation to the parade instead of driving.

Anyone driving to the parade should anticipate a difficult time finding parking. Click here for a full list of parking restrictions in the West End, Back Bay and downtown. The restrictions went into place at 12:01 a.m. Friday morning.

The MBTA is anticipating a high volume of riders on Friday and will increase transit service on all of its lines. 

The weather forecast provides good news for parade day.

The heat wave much of New England experienced this week comes to an end thanks to a cold front.

It also appears rain will stay away during the parade.

Boston Police said fans attending the parade should not bring the following items:

• Alcohol
• Weapons (including replicas)
• Coolers, glass containers, and large bags
• Drones
• Fireworks

Crowds began lining up along the parade route early Friday morning, with some claiming their spots hours in advance.

Public safety officials said they are expecting more than one million people at the parade.

After departing TD Garden and making the turn onto Causeway Street, the parade will continue toward City Hall Plaza.

The duck boats will pass Boston Common on Tremont Street.

The parade will wrap up on Boylston Street near Hynes Convention Center around 12:30 p.m.

The following streets in Boston are closed as of 9 a.m.:

• Boylston Street on both sides from Washington Street to Massachusetts Avenue
• Cambridge Street on both sides from Staniford Street to Tremont Street
• Causeway Street on both sides from North Washing Street to Merrimac Street
• Staniford Street on both sides from Causeway Street to Cambridge Street
• Tremont Street on both sides from Cambridge Street to Boylston Street