Marcus Smart shares his side of altercation that led to fan being ejected

Marcus Smart received a mostly warm welcome when he returned to Boston once as a visiting player on Sunday, but there was one tense incident between the former Defensive Player of the Year and a fan.

Smart did not play for the Washington Wizards in their 124-90 loss to the Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. Smart was a fan favorite during his nine seasons with the Celtics, which is why many fans showered him with “we want Marcus!” chants during the lopsided game.

One fan, however, said something to Smart that the 31-year-old did not appreciate. Videos that surfaced on social media showed Smart in a verbal altercation with a fan who was seated behind Washington’s bench.

Smart pointed out the fan, who was then escorted from the building by arena security.

A Boston Celtics fan was ejected for saying something to Marcus Smart 👀

(Via @Chris_232323)pic.twitter.com/NWvqxjkigN

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 7, 2025

Smart was asked about the exchange after the game. He did not go into much detail but said the fan “crossed the line.”

“He just crossed the line and we all know I don’t do line crossing,” Smart said, via Brian Robb of MassLive.com. “That was it. We move on. Unfortunate, you never wanna see that, especially for a guy who’s coming back, and who’s giving the city everything he has, but it is what it is. Take the spirit, we’ll take it. Onto the next one.”

Smart added that he wanted to point the fan out to security before the incident “escalated more than what it was.”

Aside from those brief tense moments, Smart said he felt a lot of love in his return to Boston, which was his first while in uniform since he was traded to the Wizards. Celtics fans were disappointed that Smart was a healthy scratch from the game.

Celtics fans calling for Marcus Smart to enter the game

⚡️ @PrizePicks @Gametime pic.twitter.com/IwSyI05byg

— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) April 6, 2025

Smart got a similar reception last year when he was in street clothes at TD Garden. Perhaps next time fans will be able to honor him when he actually plays in a game.