Celtics players discuss their offseason plans while getting a "Championship Shave"
BOSTON -- After a whirlwind week that saw the Celtics win -- and celebrate -- an NBA championship, three members of the team got to enjoy a relaxing moment on Monday morning. Al Horford, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard were all in a barber's chair for a "championship shave" from Gillette.
The championship trio were at Gillette's World Shaving Headquarters in Boston on Monday, and got to enjoy a few minutes of downtime while getting a trim and a shave. It's a tradition for Gillette to welcome in the city's latest champs for a clean-up, which started with Red Sox Hall of Famer David Ortiz in 2013.
Steve Pierce continued the tradition after the Red Sox won another World Series, and Tom Brady enjoyed some time in the barber's chair after the Patriots last Super Bowl win in 2019. The "championship shave" celebration was dormant the last five years, but that ended Monday thanks to the Celtics, who ended Boston's title drought last Monday night when they beat the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to capture the franchise's 18th championship.
In addition to their shave and haircuts, the Celtics trio also had $25,000 donated to the charity of their choice by Gillette. Horford's donation was made to Best Buddies, White's went to the Special Olympics of Massachusetts, and Pritchard's was given to the Boys and Girls Club of America.
While in the chair, Horford, White, and Pritchard were asked a few questions and shared some stories from Boston's championship run.
Celtics players still can't get over the championship parade
When asked what has been their favorite experience since being crowned champs, it was unanimous among the three: The championship parade through Boston was by far the highlight.
"The most special part was being able to do the parade and feel a connection with all the fans," said Horford, who played 17 NBA seasons before winning his first title. "It was fun to greet everyone and have everyone celebrate with us together."
"That parade was unreal," said White. "My mind was blown to see the city embrace us the way they have all year. In that moment, it was special."
"I've never seen anything like the parade," said Pritchard. "Over a million fans like that. Beers were flying, so we had to do some dodging. It was a one-of-a-kind experience, and hopefully we can experience that again."
Celtics players discuss their summer plans
After a long regular season and a run to a title in the playoffs, the Celtics won't have much of an offseason before the 2024-25 NBA season arrives. But players discussed how they plan to make the most of their time during Monday's event.
At 38, Horford is planning a summer full of fun with his family. And as the first Dominican-born player to win an NBA title, he's hoping to get the Larry O'Brien trophy to his home country.
"My biggest thing is spending some good time with my wife and my kids. We haven't figured anything out but probably a vacation somewhere," said Horford. "Enjoy that and take time off, then go back down to Dominican Republic and see everybody down there. Hopefully they'll let me bring the trophy down."
Meanwhile, Pritchard has a big celebration of his own in the near future, as the Celtics backup point guard is getting married in August. Until then, he'll be relaxing and likely be making a trip to Cape Cod.
"Laying low and recovering from this last week," said Pritchard. "Training and getting ready to do it again."
White is going to head back to Colorado and celebrate his title with family.
"Spend time with my wife and kid, the grandparents and everybody. Then just do what I always do in the summer, work out and enjoy family time," said White.
