Sometimes it is amazing, incredible, mindboggling and hard to believe what can happen to a person in only 9 months. But then again when your talking about Jermaine Bucknor (201-PF-1983, college: Richmond) who is a mix of hard nosed competitor and generally very nice guy, it isn´t. What he achieved and experienced in the last 9 months, one could say was simply unbelievable. “It is crazy standing here as NBA champion. I´m at a loss for words”, said Jermaine Bucknor. Thank God, he still had enough words for me to recap the last 10 months in his basketball life. Let me rewind about 10 months and a few weeks ago. It was the day before the World Cup Gold medal game between Germany-Serbia and game for third place between USA-Canada, which really felt like the real final, but really wasn´t. I will never forget the line from him. “I have a new coaching job lined up, but can´t announce it yet”. I was excited and wondering what it could be. Would he finally coach an easyCredit BBL team in Germany? How wrong I was. Soon after it was known that he would be a player development coach for my hometown team Boston Celtics. My favorite basketball team growing up that gave me my own Goat Larry Bird and introduced me to legendary play by play man Johnny Most when I was a pre teenager listening to his broadcasts under the covers at night. 9 months later, the Canadian still had a clear mind despite experiencing incredible daily things in the NBA. “It is crazy all that happened in the last 9 months. I remember our interview. I couldn´t tell you at that moment that I had the Celtics job and had to keep it to myself”, stated Jermaine Bucknor.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Jermaine Bucknor in Koblenz, Germany in September 2022

Kristaps Porzingas, Jermaine Bucknor and Derrick White

I reach Jermaine Bucknor in Boston a few hours before the 2024 NBA draft and as imaginable he is feeling like he is on top of the world. “Life is good. I´m fresh off an NBA title. In the basketball world, there isn´t much you can complain about. It has been an incredible experience”, stressed Jermaine Bucknor. Obviously becoming an NBA champion is an incredible feat, but what is even more unique is getting a job in the NBA. Bucknor had had a celebrated professional career playing 15 seasons mostly overseas and becoming a legend in Trier where he spent 8 seasons as player and at the end as coach in 2023. How in the world do you go from being a second division coach in Germany to becoming a player development coach in the NBA? It is so true what they say. It is all about who you know. Connections are vital everywhere in life. “Last summer I was asked by my friend Anthony Dobbins to help at the NBA Summer League. He was an assistant coach with the Celtics. Little did I know that that was like a 3 week job interview where head coach Joe Mazzulla and Brad Stevens evaluated my work. I guess they liked my work ethic and skill set. At the end of the summer, Joe called me and offered me a job”, stated Jermaine Bucknor. Dobbins had a stellar 13 year pro playing career overseas and was teammates with Bucknor at the University of Richmond. One has to wonder if coming to Boston from Trier was like a culture shock. It must have been a massive adjustment for him? “It really wasn´t. I mean I had played against high level caliber people similar in talent like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant back in the day with the Canadian national team. To be honest coming to the Celtics organization was like a fresh breath of air. How the organization is run and level of professionalism is exactly how I am. I was working with people that were like me. The way they work is something I have always been striving for to be a part of. I remember people warning me that in December/January, may be a period where I may wear down because of the heavy travel, but it never was. I mean I went from 10 hour bus rides from Trier to Bremerhaven to flying charter and living in the best hotels. I couldn´t complain about the travel. It was a lot of travel, but I enjoyed it”, commented Jermaine Bucknor.

Jaylon Brown and Jermaine Bucknor

Being in the Boston Celtics organization was truly like an easyCredit BBL reunion. Currently there are 4 ex BBL players with the Boston Celtics organization and 3 played for John Patrick with Maine farm team assistant coach John Little, Bucknor and Charles Lee who will be head coach of Charlotte next season. Phil Pressey played a season with the EWE Baskets Oldenburg. “It was crazy being able to work with these guys. I played with John Little in Wurzburg and played against Lee when he played with BG Goettingen. We often talked about our days in the BBL. Sometimes we came in saying wie gehts and spitting German phrases”, laughed Jermaine Bucknor. His day as player development coach were never dull. He was responsible for individual and group work. He would prepare game plans concerning 11 NBA opponents. He would submit the game preps to assistant coach Sam Cassel and review it and then submit it to Joe Mazzulla. He worked with many Celtics, but developed a special bond to ex Michigan State and Memphis Grizzlies forward Xavier Tillman who came to Boston in February. “X and I formed a close bond. We have similar personalities and playing styles. He is a kind individual off the court and a different animal on the court. Kind of like me where you find that balance of being kind and turning into a dog when it´s time to compete. We had a lot of shooting competitions. I think I was able to help his confidence with his jump shot and improve his three”, said Jermaine Bucknor. But he didn´t only work with Tillman, but had the pleasure and incredible experience alongside Tony Dobbins with working closely on a daily level with superstar Jaylen Brown and veteran Al Horford. You would think that guys like that don´t need to learn anymore, but it´s exactly the mind set from exceptional players like that that added to the incredible winning culture of the Boston Celtics. “I remember playing against Horford back in the day with Canada when he was with the Dominican Republic. The reason why we won the title is because of guys like him. He may be a veteran, but is constantly learning. He is a lifetime learner. Early in his career, he wasn´t a three point shooter, but he always worked on it and now is an incredible shooter. He is constantly getting better and is why he dominates the game. Jaylen is a beast and is always learning and he listens”, warned Jermaine Bucknor. He also worked with superstar Jayson Tatum. Is he a top 5 NBA player after the title win? “You have to realize that he is 206cm. He is so strong and has so much confidence. Seeing his dedication and how he works each day was amazing. He just wants to win. I believe that he was a top 5 player already before the title. I think that you can also put Brown in that category. I feel like he doesn´t get the needed credit. People don´t realize his importance at both ends of the court. He reminds me of Kawhi Leonard when he was with Toronto. Brown is the best 2 way player in the NBA”, stressed Jermaine Bucknor.

Jermaine Bucknor and Jayson Tatum

The Boston Celtics breezed through the NBA playoffs. Was there that deciding moment where Bucknor knew that the Celtics would win the NBA title? “I think when Payton Prichard made that half court shot in game 5 was the moment where I felt like we could win it all. Important was that we never looked to far ahead. We always went day by day and didn´t skip any steps and always made the needed adjustments. I knew that we had a great team, but just had to execute our game plan”, added Jermaine Bucknor. In the last years there were many critics who always said again that Boston just didn´t have enough to win it all. What was different this season? “I think what was different was our dedication and belief and great leadership. Mazzulla is a brilliant basketball mind and he really cares. It began with him and it trickled down on everyone else. Also the players are all selfless and care about winning first before accolades. They are all such great human beings and that also trickled down to their games. The only thing that matters in Boston is winning and we rode with the culture”, warned Jermaine Bucknor. Would the Boston Celtics have won the chip without Jrue Holiday and was Derrick White the team´s unsung hero? “I honestly think that this team was one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. I think even if he didn´t play, we could have won the title. Jrue is a great teammate and with him, we were a much much much better team. He brings so much in the locker room. White also is a great teammate and locker room guy. It is incredible to watch Holiday and White on defense. White is so intelligent. He has great shot making and playmaking. Yes he was our unsung hero”, stated Jermaine Bucknor. Winning the title was an amazing feeling for him, but what was it like experiencing the massive Celtics parade in downtown Boston? “That parade was the most incredible thing that I have ever seen in person. There were over 1 million people there. Some said there were 1,5 million present. I have never seen so many crowds of people. I don´t know how they physically got into spaces. You couldn´t see the ground, but just saw heads for miles. It was great seeing all the happy fans and their excitement. So many were crying. The whole city was behind us”, said Jermaine Bucknor. The city of Boston saw a dynasty with Bill Russell in the 60´s and a second in the 80´s with Larry Bird. Is a third dynasty on the horizon now? “I can´t predict the future, but if the Celtics are able to keep the 2024 group together and stay healthy then there is a lot this group can accomplish”, warned Jermaine Bucknor.

In 9 months, he met so many incredible basketball legends and worked with so many incredible people and even beat Celtics legend and NBA hall of famer Paul Pierce in a 3 point shooting contest. He will always have unending stories to tell his grandchildren. “I saw so many different faces. I worked closely with Jeff Van Gundy. I sat next to him at every coaches meeting and was always able to pick his brain. I also worked closely with Sam Cassell. I remember when we were in Indiana, I was able to talk with Reggie Miller for a few minutes. Chatting with Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce on a regular basis was also nice. Having guys like them and Eddie House come in and spend time in the culture as much as them was great. Pierce and House were incredible with their consistency. There were many that doubted us, but they were always in our corner. They both have rings and were the last to win here. I appreciated their support. I beat them both in a three point shooting contest and I will never let them live in down”, laughed Jermaine Bucknor. The incredible NBA journey will continue as he will follow Charles Lee to the Charlotte Hornets. I end our interview with the ultimate tough question. Who will win the Olympic Gold medal? As a Canadian, a guy who played 10 years in Germany and coached American Jayson Tatum who is a member of Team USA, he has to in a way be careful to what he says. “We had this conversation last year. Team USA is a lot stronger even if they have older guys. Canada and Germany will also be strong, but on paper, Team USA has the edge. I love Canada and Germany. It is really hard for me to say. I can´t say it too loud, but Team USA have a chip on their shoulder and I think will win”, stressed Jermaine Bucknor.