BOSTON — Sundays have become a tad more consequential for members of the 2026-2027 Boston Celtics. That’s because most of the roster is participating in a fantasy football league; every week, each Celtics player’s fantasy team goes head-to-head against another’s, giving the already-competitive squad another reason to squabble at practice.
“I just beat Neemi,” boasted Ron Harper Jr. on Thursday. “He was undefeated, so he was pretty upset about that.”
Mike Conley, who joined the Celtics in July after
a 19-year NBA career, is the orchestrator of the whole affair. A longtime fantasy football enthusiast, Conley took the initiative to create a fantasy league with his new Celtics teammates, and the endeavor has been well-received.
“Y’all should ask Mike how many leagues he’s in when y’all talk to him,” Harper Jr. said. “I don’t know how he watches a single game on Sunday without freaking out.”
Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Neemias Queta, Mike Conley, Payton Pritchard, Harper Jr., Chris Cenac Jr., and Dillon Mitchell are among the 11 players currently participating in the league.
Conley, who is almost 39 years old and the oldest player on the roster, is officially listed as ‘Unc’ in the team standings.
“Now I know what to call him,” said Joe Mazzulla.
“He’s definitely our OG,” Harper Jr. said.
The standings have been up and down so far through the league’s first few weeks.
“I think I’m 1-2,” said Cenac, who is the youngest player on the Celtics. “I lost to Payton last week. My team got 120 points and still lost! It’s tough, but it’s pretty cool playing in the league with them.”
Fellow rookie Dillon Mitchell has struggled as well; he’s 1-2 to begin the year.
“Now I don’t keep up with football too much, but I do see the score of the fantasy score on my phone,” Mitchell said. “And sometimes I’ve looked, and it hasn’t been a great score for me.”
“It was a long draft,” said Cenac. “Lamar Jackson is doing really good for my team right now.”
Joe Mazzulla said he didn’t know about the players’ fantasy league, but he’s always into players doing things together off the court.
“I just know it’s something they talk about a lot,” he said.
Fantasy football might be the Celtics’ latest obsession, but it’s far from their first. Last year, most of the roster partook in competitive games of Catan on the team flight, largely led by Payton Pritchard.
And a large contingent of the team took up golf this summer, though Harper Jr. noted there’s a sizable gap between some of the more talented golfers on the roster, like Conley, and newbies like himself.
As of right now, it just so happens to be that the Celtics’ two most decorated players lead the fantasy football league.
“I’m pretty sure JT and PG are undefeated,” Harper Jr. said. “PG is probably the early favorite for the league, but my team — we’re fighting back.”
And though there’s a lot of luck involved, each week’s winners let the losers hear it.
“It’s good for team bonding,” Harper Jr. said. “We’re talking trash week by week.”
