NBA is all about aggression, passion, and dedication to your team. They play like brothers and defend like family.
Marcus Smart has imbibed this sentiment as he catches every eye with his green-colored hair. Over the course of his career, he has donned various hair colors. But this green has immense value as he pays tribute to his team one last time.
Who Is Marcus Smart?
Marcus Osmond Smart was born on 6 March 1994 to Billy Frank and Camellia Smart and has three older brothers.
He was also a star player at Edward S. Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas. He averaged 15.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5 assists in his senior year. He was a 2-time 5A state champion and named— McDonald’s All-American and ESPNHS first-team All-American.
His college career skyrocketed his reputation during his freshman year at Oklahoma State. Within the two seasons, Smart amassed superior stats– averaged 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 33.1 minutes per game.
Later, Boston Celtics drafted him on 26 June 2014 as the sixth overall pick. Marcus showed consistent improvement in his games since his college career and proved himself a worthwhile team player.
He plays both point guard and shooting guard positions for the Celtics. According to his teammate, Kemba Walker, Smart was the source of energy for the team, as he describes Marcus–
“It’s exciting. It’s energizing. He just gets everybody going. Gets us going, gets the crowd going. Like I said, we just kinda feed off him. He just does so many great things. And propels our defense each and every night.”
And after a decade’s worth of brotherhood, he finally begins the next phase of his career.
Marcus Smart Final Days with Celtics
On 22 June 2023, the Celtics announced that Marcus had been traded to Memphis Grizzlies.
This arrangement was part of a three-way deal between the Celtics and Grizzlies, restructuring the team drastically.
The Celtics acquired Kristaps Porzingas from Washington Wizards. While they also traded away the 35th overall pick to Washington, as well as guard Tyus Jones, forward Danilo Gallinari, and center Mike Muscala.
Squirming through the midnight deadline for this year’s NBA draft, this deal was finalized after thorough consideration, according to the Celtics’ manager.
And thus, it’s farewell for Marcus from Celtics after ten years.
Why Did Marcus Smart Dye His Hair Green?
Marcus always expressed his deepest gratitude to be playing with the Celtics. He honored his brothers by dying his hair green– one of the colors for the Boston Celtics team.
But that’s not all. The green-colored hair has a heartwarming sentiment behind it.
Marcus’s mother, Camellia Smart, passed away in 2018 due to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). His mother loved when he dyed his hair or braided them. She was very proud of Marcus and encouraged him throughout his career.
Marcus paid tribute to his mother’s unconditional love by dyeing his hair green. He explained his sudden change in hair color during NBA Finals against Golden State Warriors in 2022–
“[My mom] always loved my hair [and] the things I was doing with it, from the braids to letting it grow out.”
“And I started to dye it and she really liked that. She always said she wanted to see me in green, but obviously she passed away so she never got to see me [with green hair]. So, when we started this playoff run, I was like, ‘For her, I’m gonna go ahead and dye it and see what it looks like.’ Everybody loved it, so now it’s kinda here.”
Marcus Smart
However, in a recent controversy, fans were upset that ESPN photoshopped his hair blue during one of their features, considering the sentiments behind the green color. They condemned ESPN for the “dispresctful” behavior.
What do you think of Marcus’s tribute with green hair? Do you agree with the decision to trade him off with Grizzlies?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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