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LONDON – Road trips are all about bonding, and the Celtics’ visit to London is no exception.
The team practiced in London for the first time Tuesday afternoon and just a few hours later convened for a grand dinner amid its first full night overseas. A group of sixty-three people that included players, coaches, staff and family members, met in business attire for a 7 p.m. dinner at The Ivy, a modern British restaurant, to break bread and bond.
“I think it’s just great, anytime that you get a chance to get everybody together outside of the court, get to spend time, get to know each other a little bit more in a different country, trying different food and things like that,” said Al Horford. “I think it’s pretty cool. I think it makes our group tighter. It was a good experience.”
The menu for the night was English and was curated by team chef Nick Arcuri, who travels with the team full-time. The main courses for the meal were chicken and salmon.
This meal, which consisted of multiple courses, was not a quick one. Amid plenty of laughs and conversation, the 63-member group remained at the restaurant until about 9:30 p.m. before heading back to the team hotel, where bonding continued.
“Me and the guys hung out, me and most of the guys,” said Jaylen Brown. “After dinner, we got back on the first bus, chopped it up, hung out a little bit, and had a good time here in London.”
The team spent the first day and a half enjoying London together, and some will continue to do so Wednesday night. Others, meanwhile, have made other plans to take in the historic city and all it has to offer. Below is a list of what 10 of the team’s players plan on doing tonight, and the range of itineraries is quite impressive.
Al Horford
Horford didn’t have a well-laid-out plan, but he did have an idea of what he’ll do with his night.
“Today, I’ll probably go out to dinner again and then probably just walk around the city,” Horford said. “Just do something like that, keep it low-key before the game.”
Jaylen Brown
Brown will be attending a top-flight soccer game between Chelsea and Arsenal, to be played at Stamford Bridge Stadium. Brown called attending the game “a dream come true” before revealing an actual dream he had as a youngster.
“I remember I had a dream when I was like seven years old and I played in the Premier League for, I don’t know – it was like [Manchester United], I don’t remember what team I was on,” he remembered. “But I had a dream that I was running onto the soccer field and they were all screaming and chanting my name. Hopefully that comes true, but I doubt it.”
Maybe that dream will come true tonight, Jaylen. Hold out hope!
Abdel Nader
Abdel Nader is looking to continue to dive into the local food scene, as well as to scope out the city with his significant other.
“My girlfriend is a big foodie and she’s in town with me, so she’s looking up places right now for us to go check out,” he said, noting that he is a big steak fan. “Yesterday we didn’t have a bunch of time, so we’re just going to explore. I’m a big outdoors guy, so I want to take a look, and it’ll be fun.”
Daniel Theis
It will now become clear to all Celtics fans that Daniel Theis is a planner. Here’s what he told Celtics.com when asked about his plans for the night:
“I’ll take my wife to a musical,” he said. “We’re going to Aladdin. That was my Christmas gift. It’s going to be fun with her.”
Aron Baynes
Theis isn’t the only one catching a show. Aron Baynes has plans to take in a musical as well.
Asked about his plans for the night, Baynes replied, “This afternoon, mate, I’m going down to the West End, going to go watch Book of Mormon with the Mrs.”
And if you know Baynes, you also know he’s going to test the city’s cuisine.
“Definitely grab some food,” he added with a smile. “We haven’t locked in anywhere yet. I’ve got a few restaurants that I’ve got the name of, but still haven’t made a decision. We’ll see what the appetite is like later on.”
Marcus Smart
Picture Marcus Smart as a 23-year-old who would want to run around London? You’re wrong.
“nah, I’m gonna relax,” he said after being asked if he had any plans for the night. “I’ll probably go shopping a little bit, but that’s about it.”
Terry Rozier
Shopping quickly became a theme. Smart wasn’t the only one thinking about picking something up for himself.
“I’m going shopping,” Terry Rozier said definitively, before adding in another possibility. “ I might go to the soccer game with Jaylen, but other than that, nothing.”
Semi Ojeleye
The shopping train continues to chug along here…
“I’m going to try to go to the mall, for sure,” Semi Ojeleye said. “Everybody was talking about it, so I think we’re going to try to do that. And then I’m going to try to see Big Ben… if I don’t run out of energy first.”
We then had to break the unfortunate news to Ojeleye that Big Ben is currently under construction and is not visible to the public. That just means more time for shopping, we suppose?
Guerschon Yabusele
You’d never believe it, but…
“I was hoping to go to the mall to shop a little bit,” he said, before being notified that he was the fourth player to make that claim. “Shopping is my thing tonight, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum is a quiet guy who is about as calm as they come. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s just going to let the night unfold in an unscripted manner. Asked if he had any plans, Tatum replied, “I don’t think so.” He then said he’d let the night take him wherever it takes him, before Nader joked from a couple of feet away, “He’s lying… he’s a part animal.”