Ron Mercer shares some advice for a Celtics’ lottery pick

"Go out and play hard, and the fans will support you."

Ron Mercer was selected by the Celtics with the No. 6 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft Jeff Haynes/Getty Images

June 23, 2016

2 minutes to read

Ron Mercer knows a thing or two about arriving in Boston as a high-profile draft pick.

The Celtics selected the former University of Kentucky standout with the No. 6 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. As a freshman in Lexington, he had been a part of Rick Pitino’s national championship team. After being named a first team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore, the Nashville native declared for the NBA draft.

With the Celtics set to the make the No. 3 overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft, Mercer shared some advice for any prospects who find themselves playing for Boston:

“When you step on the floor, you have to give it your all, because the fans know. They’ve been there for years,” Mercer said. “They appreciate hard work. They appreciate their players, but you have to put in the work. Go out and play hard, and the fans will support you.”

As a rookie with the Celtics, Mercer started 62 games and averaged 15.3 points per contest. The team struggled to a 36-46 record under Pitino, who was in his first season coaching the Celtics, during the 1997-1998 season, but Mercer was selected to the NBA’s All-Rookie 1st team, a group headlined by Tim Duncan. Though he played just two seasons in Boston before being traded to the Denver Nuggets in August 1999, Mercer says that playing in a Celtics uniform was unlike anything else in his eight-season NBA career.

“There are really only a couple of franchises that have that true tradition: And Boston, it doesn’t get any better,” he said. “Just knowing the history, the people, the players that have played there, it’s a great tradition that you want to be a part of and I was blessed for a couple years to be a part of it.”

This Q&A has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Do you remember the first time you felt accepted by the fans in Boston?

The very first game we played. We opened up at the Garden against the Chicago Bulls and just the excitement of playing against the world champs, playing against Michael Jordan, and we actually won that game. So it was probably one of my favorite memories during that time.

How did it feel playing your first game against a historically great team?

It was terrifying [chuckles]. It was my first week and didn’t know what to expect. You always watched them on TV, so it was pretty exciting.

What’s something that a rookie should know about being a part of the Celtics organization?

I would tell them, from a basketball standpoint, to make sure they’ve learned the history, and make sure they get acquainted with the city and the community. You have to stay engaged with what’s going on, but only once you learn the history you understand what it’s like to be a part of the Celtics.