Pat Connaughton, surrounded by a wedding party, is the tall one in the middle. / Bob Sprague photo More photos >>
With the Bucks in Boston playoff for action with the Celts, what’s an Arlington lad to do? Well, Pat Connaughton came to the town where he grew up on a gray Saturday afternoon and made himself available for autographs and photos to eager youngsters at Fidelity House.
First, though, some personal business: Outside, wedding celebrants, colorfully attired, poured out of St. Agnes Church. Among them was the bride, Krista Doherty, a lifelong friend of Pat’s. Now Krista Jamieson, she joined well-wishers for photos with the 6-foot-5 NBA shooting guard.
The former star at St. John’s Prep and Notre Dame was coming off a 14-point performance as the Milwaukee Bucks went up 2-1 in the series against Boston on May 3.
A Globe reporter asked Connaughton whether he had rooted for the Celtics when he was younger, but he “played coy and simply shrugged,” the story says.
Inside, Fidelity House — which has an ongoing capital campaign — a line of kids, some bouncing basketballs, snakes around the gym. They approach the pro player, some with awe, some with feigned nonchalance.
Smiling, he signs photos, hats (one is green with a Bucks logo) and even basketballs. He poses for photos.
For a moment, a kid can hope that the magic from a player who ran the Garden parquet will rub off a little — even if it was from “the enemy.”
This news summary was published Sunday, May 5, 2019.
