Celtics star Svi Mykhailiuk says ‘I’m just trying to bring joy back’ to war-ravaged Ukraine after winning NBA Finals
THE 2024 NBA Finals victory had a whole different level of importance for Svi Mykhailiuk.
While trying to deliver for the roaring TD Garden crowd and most of New England, the Boston Celtics wing also represented Europe's second-largest country in the title series with the Dallas Mavericks.
The country is Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia's devastating full-scale invasion since February 2022.
The bloody conflict took an estimated 40,000 Ukrainian lives in the first two years.
A quarter of them were civilians, according to a report by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Russia's offensive in the eastern regions and missile strikes that had hit targets across the entire country forced nearly 6.5 million Ukrainians to flee the country, per the UN.
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Meanwhile, about 14.6 million found themselves in need of humanitarian assistance.
No wonder that Mykhailiuk, 27, felt extra pressure during Boston's championship run, knowing that the triumph would put a smile on quite a few faces in his homeland.
"As everybody knows, there's a war back home," the 6-foot-7 shooting guard tells The U.S. Sun after the Celtics claimed their 18th NBA title in Game 5 of the Finals.
"I'm just trying to make my people proud and trying to bring joy back home."
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Mykhailiuk – who sported his country's flag during the trophy ceremony – has become only the second Ukrainian to win an NBA title, following in the footsteps of ex-Los Angeles Lakers forward Slava Medvedenko.
Just like in Medvedenko's case, the sharpshooter's path to the NBA led through Los Angeles too with the Lakers selecting the Cherkasy native out of Kansas in the second round of the 2018 draft.
They traded him away during his rookie season, though, starting Mykhailiuk's years-long search for a new home that saw him play for five different teams before signing with the Celtics last summer.
The Ukrainian caught Boston's attention after a strong 19-game run with the Charlotte Hornets in the second part of 2022-23, during which he averaged 10.6 points while clocking 22.5 minutes per game.
His playing time inevitably dropped while on the stacked C's team.
NBA Finals schedule
Thur 6 June - Game 1 - Dallas Mavericks 89-107 Boston Celtics
Sun 9 June - Game 2 - Dallas Mavericks 98-105 Boston Celtics
Wed 12 June - Game 3 - Boston Celtics 106-99 Dallas Mavericks
Fri 14 June - Game 4 - Boston Celtics 84-122 Dallas Mavericks
Mon 17 June - Game 5 - Dallas Mavericks 88-106 Boston Celtics
(Boston Celtics won 4-1)
Still, Mykhailiuk proved to be a reliable role player, logging 4.0 points and 1.2 rebounds while shooting 38.9% from 3 in 41 regular-season appearances.
The Ukrainian says he doesn't yet know what the future holds after his one-year deal with the Celtics expires this summer.
But he says he likes it here in New England, as one would coming out of a championship photoshoot with the Larry O'Brien trophy.
"Man, it's amazing," Mykhailiuk says when asked what it feels like to be an NBA champ.
"I've been in the league six years.
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"It's the best team I've been on. Best organization."
"It's just a great experience. Surreal. Surreal."