Former Tennessee Vol reaches the top of the basketball world on Monday night
For a long time, Tennessee Vol fans hoped that a former UT standout who was drafted in the first round would end up raising a championship trophy with the Boston Celtics during his time there. Well, it happened, but not in the way that most fans would have expected. Former Tennessee G/F Jaden Springer popped champaign […]
For a long time, Tennessee Vol fans hoped that a former UT standout who was drafted in the first round would end up raising a championship trophy with the Boston Celtics during his time there.
Well, it happened, but not in the way that most fans would have expected. Former Tennessee G/F Jaden Springer popped champaign with his Boston Celtics teammates on Monday night after Boston hammered the Dallas Mavericks 122-86 to secure a 4-1 series win in the NBA Finals.
For the longest time, it was fan favorite Grant Williams who was keeping many Vol fans tuned into what the Celtics were doing, as he played a significant role in helping the Celtics remain contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Williams, who earned first-team All-American honors as well as being named SEC player of the year in 2019, was taken by the Celtics with the 22nd pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He played in Boston from 2019 to 2023, helping the Celtics reach the NBA Finals in 2022. Boston would go on to lose in six games to the Golden State Warriors. Williams was traded to the Mavericks after the 2023 season and was again traded to Charlotte earlier this year.
However, it was Springer who ultimately will end up with a Celtics championship ring on his finger. Springer played for the Vols during the 2020-2021 season. In his lone season in Knoxville, he led Tennessee in scoring in regular season and SEC play, earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors. He totaled a season-high 30 points in the Vols' 89-81 win over Georgia.
Springer announced on March 29, 2021 that he was entering the NBA Draft, where he was taken with the 28th overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. He spent most of his time in Philadelphia in the NBA G League but was traded to Boston in February 2024. He logged two rebounds during the NBA Finals.
Now, a former Vol will end up partying this week through the streets of Boston as a member of the NBA champion Celtics. Just not the face many in Knoxville thought they'd be seeing.
Former Lady Vols standout offers strong take on Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese rivalry
It’s a debate that’s taken the league by storm
