Boston Celtics wing Jordan Walsh inked a new three-year, $15 million contract extension this summer and believes that long-term security could help unlock a more impactful version of the player who made a name for himself on the defensive end throughout the 2025-26 season.
Walsh was in Duncanville, Texas this weekend to host his third annual youth basketball camp. NBC Sports Boston caught up with him on his new deal, surprise visits from coach Joe Mazzulla, and making sure rookies are on top of their Catan duties.
Questions below have been edited for clarity and brevity. Watch the full interview on NBC Sports Boston’s YouTube page or listen on the Celtics Talk Podcast.
Q: It’s Year 3 of your youth camp back in the Dallas area, what’s it like going back home and being with the kids?
Jordan Walsh: “It’s super cool. Like I always say, if you can give back, it doesn’t have to be something like money or anything physical, but giving back an experience is what I’m trying to give these kids. Something that I didn’t really have. I think that’s the biggest part, especially with kids locally around here and kids who were in the same situation that I was growing up, I feel like it’s huge to be able to give back in a way where it brings them together and kind of has everybody come together over one love for basketball.”
Q: Kids tend to ask crazy questions. What’s this year’s most popular question when you walk into the gym?
JW: “Randomly, they asked me about me doing a stream with [Taiwanese streamer] Rayasianboy — my boy, Ray. So, randomly, that’s been the topic of conversation today.”
Q: Are you all in on streaming now?
JW: “Yeah, I mean, I’m not quite in this space like [former teammate Jaylen Brown] or Ray is. I try to dabble here and there.”
Q: Why was now the right time for you to extend, and are you excited about the security the new contract brings?
JW: “I think it was perfect for me at the moment. Like you said, it does give a level of security, and a level of belief that the organization has for me. So I think it’s a big step. I think it will propel my growth to a different level. Because now I’m here; I’m here with the Celtics. Now it just feels — not that it didn’t feel real before — but now it feels more real, more secure, more kind of like I’m in it, you know? And so I think that’s the greatest peace of mind that it kind of gave me, like that’s that’s the biggest thing.
Q: Is there a sense of relief that comes with getting that second contract, and now being able to put all your energy into focusing on the next step in your career?
JW: “Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s a new starting point, kind of checkpoint for my career. I think that the first three years of my career was trying to prove that I could play in the league. I think that I’ve proven that I can play in the league and I’m an NBA player. Now it’s about getting better at the areas that I’m weak, so I can continue to get better and earn more, and produce more, kind of those type of things.”
Q: What are the next steps for Jordan Walsh?
JW: “Just trying to build. Like I’d said before at summer league, trying to build my offensive game, trying to redefine myself offensively. I feel like I’ve gained respect when it comes to being an on-ball defender, being a help-side defender. I feel like I’ve gained that respect, and that’s where I’ve made my mark, so to say.
“But I also felt like there were a lot of times where we decided — the Celtics decided — to go a different way or direction mid-game because of the situation. And because I didn’t fit that situation. I wasn’t the best option for that situation. So my focus now is to be the best option for every situation. Whether we need a bucket, whether we need a stop, whether it’s crunch time in the fourth quarter — I don’t want to give anybody a reason for me not to be in the game. And so that’s kind of the focus. I want to I want to be able to be that performer in those moments every time.
Q: Coach Joe Mazzulla visited you at home in Texas earlier this summer. Does he give you any sort of notice before he shows up on your doorstep?
JW: “Yeah, it was probably the day before that I got a text and he was like, ‘Yo, I’ll be there, you working out?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ [He said], ‘OK, I’ll be there.’ It’s kind of that type of thing. It was last minute, but it wasn’t just like, ‘I’ll pop up.’”
Q: When Joe shows up, what do you want to show him? What does he want to see?
JW: “I’m not in the mind of Joe, I have no idea what he wants. He probably just wanted to say hi and get a meal. I don’t really know. But I know that he wanted to connect with me. We had some good conversations. So I know he wanted to connect with me on a deeper level, because we’re kind of trying to build something new this year. And this is his way of involving me and showing that he cares and that he’s thinking about me.
“So I think that that’s a big thing. I talked to him again after the contract. So I feel like it’s his way of saying that he’s in it with you, and that he’s going through the same struggle, the same fight with you, and he knows that we’re together in that.”
Q: Any pressure to pick the right dinner spot? Where did you take him?
JW: “I mean it’s Texas, you got to get Texas barbecue. Like you have to … But I’ve been going to this place called Terry Black’s. You go in there, 5 minutes, you’re out with your food. It’s great. I love it … The last two times I went I did mac and cheese, creamed corn, with a beef rib. Oh my gosh — delicious.”
Q: You sat next to Jaylen Brown on the team plane. What will you miss most about him and who gets that spot next season?
JW: “I’m thinking I’m going to take that seat. [The spot next to me], they got to figure that out. I don’t know who’s going to be. Whoever takes it first, it’s all yours. But, on missing [Jaylen’s] presence though, or having that not felt, it is different because it’s one of the guys that I was probably the closest with, maybe the second guy I was the closest with. But for him to do so many things for me that he’s done, on and off the court, like I’ve always got to show love and appreciate that because he is the realest. He is one of the realest people I know. And so, obviously, having him gone, that’s a blow.
“Obviously, [Xavier Tillman] was another guy who was I was super close with. And I still talk to him. He has a house in Dallas now, so I’ll be seeing him often. But, yeah, JB being gone, it sucks, it’s tough, it’s a business. We all know this, we all understand that. But just it being a business doesn’t make it any more easier, them leaving. It’s tough. I think the organization feels like they’ve done what they’ve done and it’s gonna help us to win. So we’re all just kind of trusting in their build and in their position and try to make the best of it.”
Q: Ron Harper Jr. also got a new deal this summer. The wing spot is loaded with young talent. How much fun is it for you guys to push each other but also celebrate each other’s successes?
JW: “I think all of us play a very important role in this system. I think all of us are very competitive in that role and trying to maximize it. Because we are competing against each other, in a sense, but we’re also all still striving for the same things. So it’s always support. It’s always love between us. But it’s always competition, which I think that competition kind of pushes everybody in a direction that makes all of us better. And I think that’s what the Celtics see because everybody does a little bit different things. But together we can all cause havoc on the court, which is, I think, exactly what Joe wants.”
Q: Have you told the incoming rookies about their Catan duties on the team plane?
JW: “I haven’t introduced them to that yet. I’m hoping that Hugo [Gonzalez] just passes it down. But if they have to be reminded, I’ll be glad to remind them. ‘This is Catan, protect it with your life.’”
