“That’s my m************ son! That’s my m************, boy!” yelled out Boston Celtics champion Eddie Home as New Mexico punched its ticket to the NCAA Match for the primary time in 10 years.
His son, Jaelen Home, had led the Lobos to a Mountain West Convention championship with a 28-point exhibiting in opposition to San Diego State. “I don’t count on nothing much less however for him to indicate up when it’s time to indicate up,” Home instructed Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal.
4 months later, Jaelen was donning the identical colours his father as soon as wore, as he bought the chance to swimsuit up for the Celtics in Summer season League.
“I labored out with them in Might, and so they like me, or no matter, after which, they instructed me that they needed to carry me in for Summer season League,” Home instructed CelticsBlog. “That’s type of the way it occurred.”
When Home was named to the Summer season League roster, the connection between him and his father was the very first thing followers sparked to. Profitable in Boston means immortality. It was a pure connection.
However that’s not what bought Home thus far. Not even shut.
“Folks assume that I bought right here due to my dad. No, that’s not the case,” Home emphasised. “I labored so laborious for this second, and I’ll proceed to work laborious for extra moments that I find yourself getting.”
Home is a embellished collegiate athlete. He started his profession at his father’s Arizona State, however after two years, he transferred to New Mexico. That’s the place he made his mark.
In three years as a Lobo, Home made three All-MWC groups, two MWC All-Defensive groups, and was the Mountain West Convention Match MVP in 2024.
“I don’t forged a shadow,” Eddie mentioned to Grammer. “He’s making his personal. He’s in his personal footsteps. His title is Jaelen Home, and don’t neglect it.”
Home has made a house within the heads of his opponents, and it doesn’t cease on the courtroom. Anybody from opposing gamers, coaches, and even followers are topic to the aggressive hearth that he relentlessly spews when on the hardwood.
After not taking part in in Boston’s first Summer season League sport, Home checked in for a short stint in opposition to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was solely on the courtroom for 3:14 and managed to select up a technical foul. “I used to be simply fired up,” he mentioned. “Performed good protection, and I needed to let him find out about it.”
That wasn’t sufficient for Home.
He earned a ton of minutes over the course of the Celtics’ subsequent three Summer season League affairs, and his sport in opposition to the Charlotte Hornets included some back-and-forths as properly.
“I’m only a competitor,” Home mentioned. “At any time when any person talks, I really feel like I bought to get the final snicker.”
Listed at simply six ft tall, Home by no means backs down from a problem. As a substitute, he makes it his private mission to mild the courtroom on hearth at any time when he checks right into a sport.
Whether or not it’s Lobos basketball or NBA Summer season League, Home’s depth is a basic piece of his basketball persona. And it’s one thing that’s been part of him for so long as he can bear in mind.
“It’s all the time been that manner,” mentioned Home. “I imply, I simply love the sport, so I all the time wish to compete and do my finest and simply go on the market and provides 110% each time as a result of, at any time when individuals see that, and so they’re like, ‘Oh, my goodness, this man’s going laborious.’ So, I simply attempt to go on the market and try this.
The Lakers and Hornets turned the topics of Home’s aggressive hearth in Summer season League, however in faculty, it was the Aztecs.
When Home stepped into Viejas Enviornment, the house of San Diego State basketball, he carried the hate of each fan within the constructing on his shoulder.
And he cherished each second of it.
“When the lights go on, he virtually turns into like a performer,” New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino mentioned. “He doesn’t thoughts—and also you virtually noticed it final 12 months in Viejas—turning into the villain, the place a few of us really feel uncomfortable with that. He relishes it. He embraces it. It doesn’t have an effect on him.”
Home bought into it with the followers at a sport in San Diego throughout his second 12 months with the Lobos. They have been yelling forwards and backwards, and he needed to get in a single final jab.
Even when it resulted in a technical foul.
“I simply appeared on the crowd. They saved speaking loopy to me the entire night time, so I simply needed to rub some of their face one time,” Home instructed reporters post-game.
“[The ref] was saying that’s unsportsmanlike, however I don’t perceive how followers can say no matter they need, and I can’t say something again. I don’t perceive that. However that’s simply how the refs work.”
His rivalry with the Aztecs culminated within the MWC championship in his closing 12 months — the true final snicker. “I don’t like them, and so they don’t like me,” he mentioned after a win in January.
However Home’s collegiate on-court vitriol prolonged far past the partitions of Viejas. Although he solely spent three years there, your complete Mountain West grew to hate him. And once more, that was completely nice with Home.
“Jaelen Home is essentially the most hated participant of ten fn bases and will get essentially the most hate throughout video games of any participant I’ve ever coated,” Grammer tweeted after New Mexico’s 83-82 win at Nevada in February. “He eggs it on, in fact, however nonetheless 100% true… I’ve by no means heard the hate of a participant like Jaelen will get. And he completely loves carrying the black hat.”
Pitino even in contrast him to a WWE heel. “I mentioned to our workers, it’s like he’s like a wrestler in WWE,” he mentioned. “He’s, like, relishing this. However that fuels him. He’s simply bought to get to that line and cease.”
Home cherished the hatred within the second. He embraced it. And being the Mountain West’s prime villain was nothing however bliss for the purpose guard.
“Yeah, I like when followers discuss crap to me,” he mentioned. “It type of motivates me in a manner. I already play with a chip on my shoulder, so simply followers speaking mess to me and saying unhealthy issues type of will get me slightly extra fired up.”
Whether or not he’s translating his vitality into scoring or the protection that landed him on two All-Convention Defensive Groups at New Mexico, Home’s engine is rarely off.
“I type of been doing it my complete life, so it’s not likely one thing that I type of carved out. It’s identical to a behavior now,” he mentioned of his protection. “You already know what I’m saying? Like, I’m going on the market, and I don’t need the following man to attain on me. I don’t like that stuff. So, I simply go on the market and play as laborious as we will.”
The taunting and jawing are all a part of the package deal. They make him who he’s. Although he isn’t fast to share the main points of his fiery interactions.
“Not that I can say on right here,” Home instructed CelticsBlog with a smile when requested for an instance of his self-proclaimed “smack discuss.”
Even Pitino needed to get used to teaching the Lobo’s very personal Tasmanian satan.
“I all the time take into consideration the expression any person mentioned to me about teaching: You’d somewhat tone down a bronco than heat up a corpse,” mentioned Pitino.
So, when Home first joined the Summer season League Celtics, the connection to his father was simply, but unfair.
It’s enjoyable to see the son of a former participant rocking the identical threads as his dad. And for some lifelong Boston followers, it might make them really feel a bit previous.
“It’s nice having a father that’s performed within the NBA simply in your nook,” Home mentioned. “He’s been by means of the identical issues that I’ve been by means of. Faculty, NBA-level, or no matter. He’s been by means of not taking part in. He simply tells me, ‘It’s enterprise. ‘Simply bought to maintain grinding.’”
However assuming Home solely bought right here due to connections couldn’t be farther from the reality. Soar to that conclusion, and also you would possibly simply end up on the improper finish of a firecracker.
“I’d simply say, ‘Simply watch me play,’” Home mentioned. “That’s actually all I may say. And then you definitely inform me when you assume that I bought right here due to my dad.”