The reigning NFL champion Kansas City Chiefs have Taylor Swift. And now, as of Thursday night, the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics have Megan Thee Stallion. How? Because the three-time Grammy Award-winning rapper’s current boyfriend is now the newest Celtic.
The NBA champion Celtics yesterday signed 34-year-old, eight-year NBA veteran guard Torrey Craig to fill the 14th spot on their roster. After trading bench guard Jaden Springer to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday in a move designed to allow Boston some luxury tax relief, the Celtics were required under NBA rules to add a player, bringing their active roster to 14.
Each year in the NBA, as soon as the midseason trade deadline passes â which this year happened at 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday â the buyout market kicks in. That’s when any player who has requested and been granted his release from one teams can sign as a free agent with any other team.
Former New Zealand Defensive Player of the Year
Craig, who had appeared in just nine games for the Bulls this season on a contract that was paying him $2.8 million was cut by Chicago earlier in the week to free a roster spot. The Bulls needed space to take in three players after trading their two-time All-Star Zach Lavine to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team, seven player deal.
Craig played his college basketball at University of South Carolina Upstate but went undrafted upon the conclusion of his college career in 2014. Instead, Craig signed to play in New Zealand’s National Basketball League where he was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.
That earned him his entrance into the NBA, on a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets. Craig appeared in 172 games for Denver over three seasons, averaging 18.6 minutes and 5.3 points per game. He then spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers before signing with the Bulls in July, 2023.
With the Celtics aiming to be the first NBA team to repeat as champions since the Golden State Warriors did it in 2017 and 2018, in Craig they are picking up a bench player who is not likely to flinch under the pressure of the playoffs.
He has experience in 75 playoff games with Denver and Phoenix, averaging 16.3 minutes and 4.7 points overall. Craig has even appeared in the NBA Finals, playing all six games for the Suns in their 2021 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Megan Thee Stallion Now Has a Celtics Connection
While Craig is unlikely to see extensive minutes as the 14th man off the already-deep Boston bench, he fits the profile of a Celtics player in the Brad Stevens-Joe Mazzulla era. He is known as a “3 and D” player â that is, a player whose strongest elements are defense and the three-point shot.
But the Celtics are also getting a celebrity, at least by association. In January, Craig publicly acknowledged that he is in a romantic relationship with Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, 29, better known by her performance name Megan Thee Stallion.
Just as Swift has her fan base known as “Swifties,” Megan Thee Stallion has a core of fans who call themselves “Hotties.” But whether the rapper and her “Hotties” will frequent Celtics games at TD Garden the way Swift shows up at Arrowhead Stadium, only time will tell.
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