Celtics
The Celtics’ 18th title and the Patriots’ decision to move on from Bill Belichick dominated headlines in 2024.
In 2024, change and a long-awaited championship reigned supreme in Boston sports.
As confetti rained down on the parquet floor, two other franchises ushered in coaching changes — with one football titan in Foxborough packing his bags. There were local triumphs on the Olympic stage, letdowns on Landsdowne Street, and so much more.
From Bill Belichick’s ouster to Banner 18, here are some of the top Boston sports moments of 2024.
Bill Belichick fired
After 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles in New England, Bill Belichick’s tenure in Foxborough came to a close in January. The Patriots and the legendary coach announced that they “mutually agreed to part ways” on Jan. 11 — just four days after New England capped off a disappointing 4-13 season.
Robert Kraft — who later acknowledged in October that Belichick’s dismissal was a firing — pointed to declining returns in Foxborough as a trend that needed to be reversed via a seismic coaching change.
“What’s gone on here the last three, four years isn’t what we want,” Kraft said. “So we have a responsibility to do what we can to fix it to the best of our ability.”
Belichick’s several whiffs when it comes to team personnel — be it years of poor drafting, putting ill-equipped coaches into featured roles, or letting Tom Brady walk in 2020 — eventually became too large of an issue to ignore for a franchise that has plummeted to the bottom of the standings.
It was an unfortunate ending for one of the primary architects of a two-decade dynasty in New England.
Less than a month after taking a job as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, Dorchester native and former Patriots OC Bill O’Brien reversed course — accepting a role as the head coach of Boston College football in early February.
The Eagles took off in O’Brien’s first season at Chestnut Hill, opening the season with a road win over No. 10 Florida State (after being tabbed as 16.5-point underdogs.) The Eagles have gone 7-5 this season, earning another spot in a bowl game against Nebraska as part of the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 28.
Lemma, Obiri emerge victorious in 128th Boston Marathon
As is the case every third Monday in April, over 30,000 runners braved Heartbreak Hill in hopes of finally reaching the finish line on Boylston Street as part of the 128th Boston Marathon.
Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia won the men’s division with a time of 2:06:17, with Kenyan Hellen Obiri repeating as women’s champion with a time of 2:22:37.
Drake Maye arrives
After several seasons spent searching for a franchise QB after Tom Brady’s exit, New England seems to have finally found their guy in Drake Maye.
Drafted by New England third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft out of UNC, Maye was viewed as a promising — albeit raw — signal-caller who was going to need some time to find his footing in the NFL ranks.
But after supplanting Jacoby Brissett on the depth chart, Maye has impressed as New England’s starting QB.
Even with New England’s lackluster record and the absence of legit star talent on New England’s roster (besides Christian Gonzalez), Maye has exceeded expectations as a promising playmaker who should only get better over time.
After Sunday’s loss to the Bills, Maye has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,159 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions while also rushing for 389 yards and two touchdowns.
The Patriots have presumably taken care of the toughest part of a rebuild in the NFL by finding a future star QB. Now comes the challenge of surrounding him with talent.
Bruins beat Leafs, fall to Panthers again
The 2023-24 Bruins exceeded expectations, with a reworked roster littered with bargain-bin signings winning 47 games and finishing second in the Atlantic Division.
After watching their record-setting ‘22-23 campaign crumble in the first round, the Bruins punched their ticket to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year — with David Pastrnak eliminating the Maple Leafs in a Game 7 overtime thriller.
Pastrnak’s series clincher set up an anticipated rematch with the Florida Panthers, the same squad that crushed Boston’s storybook ending the previous spring.
Despite a stellar playoff run from Jeremy Swayman (.933 save percentage), the Bruins could not exact revenge against Florida — with Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and the eventual Stanley Cup champs bouncing Boston in six games.
Boston Fleet open PWHL season with Walter Cup run
The inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) — the first unified pro women’s hockey league in North America — was a sweeping success.
The Boston Fleet — dubbed “PWHL Boston” in their first campaign — orchestrated an impressive playoff run all the way up to a do-or-die Game 5 of the Walter Cup Final.
Despite finishing third in the PWHL standings with 35 points, Boston was lifted in the playoffs by a strong showing from goalie Aerin Frankel — who helped Boston sweep Montreal (in three overtime games) in the semifinals before coming up just short against Minnesota.
Tom Brady honored as latest inductee into Patriots Hall of Fame
Tom Brady’s anticipated Patriots’ Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony within Gillette Stadium was expected to be an extended celebration for the greatest quarterback of all time.
But it was a fitting tribute to a two-decade dynasty in New England — with just about every key contributor in that unequaled run getting their moment to shine in front of a packed house in Foxborough.
From Randy Moss’ tearful reaction to Patriots fans’ ovation, Bill Belichick’s return to Gillette just months after his exit, to Brady’s own emotional address — it was a fitting final chapter to an era of football excellence.
Celtics win Banner 18
Sixteen years after Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen celebrated on the parquet floor, a new Celtics core seized basketball immortality once again.
The 2023-24 Celtics capped off a dominant season by winning Banner 18 — setting a new record for most titles in NBA history after beating the Mavericks in five games during the 2024 NBA Finals.
After a 64-win regular season where Boston set a record in points per 100 possessions (122.2), the Celtics went on a warpath in the postseason.
Even with Kristaps Porzingis limited throughout the postseason with several injuries, Boston went 16-3 in the playoffs — ending the year with a point differential of 10.7, the fifth-highest mark in league history.
It was a fitting conclusion to years of promising runs and crushing losses for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — with the former taking home Finals MVP honors after averaging 20.8 points per game and locking down Luka Doncic in the backcourt.
Celtics celebrate title with parade through Boston
Days after winning their 18th title, the Celtics celebrated their record-setting win with a customary duck-boat parade through Boston.
From TD Garden to the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Joe Mazzulla, and the rest of the Celtics took in the cheers and revelry from over a million fans lining the parade route.
Celtics put up for sale
Just a little over a week after the Celtics’ championship parade, Wyc Grousbeck made a stunning announcement. In a statement, Grousbeck said that Boston Basketball Partners L.L.C. — the ownership group for the team— planned to sell its shares of the franchise.
Grousbeck noted that the ownership group intended to sell a majority stake in late 2024 or early 2025, with the balance closing in 2028. However, the official bidding for the franchise is reportedly not expected to begin until January 2025.
Even if Grousbeck intends to remain involved with the franchise through 2028, a potential bidding war between established team execs like Steve Pagliuca and other interested buyers with deep pockets will be fascinating to watch in the coming months.
New Englanders impress at 2024 Summer Olympics
Several local products showed out at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris — headlined by Florence native Gabby Thomas’ three gold medals (200m, 4×100, 4×400) in track and field.
Worcester’s Stephen Nedoroscik (two bronze medals) became a viral sensation on the pommel horse, while Stoughton’s Frederick Richard and Vermont native Ilona Maher took home bronze in gymnastics and women’s rugby sevens, respectively.
A little over a month after winning an NBA title, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday also secured another goal medal for Team USA in men’s basketball.
Alex Cora signs 3-year extension with Red Sox
The 2024 Red Sox slowly took steps forward this summer.
Big-league talent like Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Tanner Houck, and others impressed, while Boston’s next wave of talent in the minors between Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer continued to see their stock soar.
Still, those strides weren’t enough to prevent the Sox from missing the postseason for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
Better days might be ahead with the Red Sox, especially with the team opting to re-sign Alex Cora to a three-year contract extension in July.
Cora — who was expected to be the top manager on the free-agent market this winter — should have more to work with in 2025, especially if prospects like Anthony and Campbell break through.
“I truly believe this is the last struggle, to be honest with you. I think this is it,” Cora said at Boston’s end-of-season presser. “There were a lot of positives, there were some negatives, but I believe where we’re going as an organization, it’s going to be fun again.”
Jeremy Swayman’s contract impasse
After dealing Linus Ullmark to the Senators in June, it felt all but inevitable that the Bruins were going to re-up Jeremy Swayman on a long-term deal, especially after his strong playoff run.
Boston and Swayman’s agent eventually got to the finish line … just a few days before the start of the 2024-25 regular season. But before Swayman inked an eight-year, $66 million contract, both he and the Bruins found themselves in one of the more dramatic contract negotiations in recent NHL history.
This back-and-forth had everything — be it Cam Neely insinuating on Media Day that Swayman had “64 million reasons” to be playing, Swayman’s agent stating that no such offer was on the table, and a tangible fear over a trade request from the 25-year-old netminder.
Cooler heads prevailed, with the spotlight now on Swayman (.887 save percentage) to start making good on his hefty new deal.
Celtics ring in new season on Banner Night
The Celtics opened a new 2024-25 campaign in impressive fashion on Oct. 22 at TD Garden — welcoming back legends like Bob Cousy and Paul Pierce, receiving their 15-carat championship rings and, at long last, raising Banner 18 into the rafters.
“This is special. On behalf of me, my teammates, the organization … we couldn’t have done it without you last year,” Tatum said in an address to a packed Garden crowd. “Let’s enjoy this moment together. I can honestly say — to the best fans in the world: Let’s do it again.”
Bruins fire Jim Montgomery
Expectations were high for the Bruins entering the 2024-25 season, especially after the team shelled out big bucks in the offseason to add Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to the roster.
But Boston sleepwalked out of the gate, with a team-wide regression in scoring and a dip in play from Jeremy Swayman spelling doom for bench boss Jim Montgomery. Boston fired Montgomery amid an 8-9-3 start, handing the reins over to Joe Sacco in the hope of a mid-season spark.
Since naming Sacco as interim head coach, the Bruins are 10-4-1 over their last 15 games — but questions still persist about how equipped this team is for another Cup run.
Bruins usher in 100 years with Centennial Game
After celebrating their centennial season in 2023-24, the Bruins officially rang in triple digits as an NHL franchise on Dec. 1 — hosting the Montreal Canadiens 100 years to the day after Boston first hosted the Montreal Maroons at Boston Arena (now Northeastern’s Matthews Arena).
Several legends like Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Willie O’Ree, Patrice Bergeron, Johnny Bucyk, and more were on hand for the ceremony — with the hockey greats passing pucks to younger hockey plans as a ceremonial passing of the torch to the next generation.
Red Sox lose Juan Soto sweepstakes, trade for Garrett Crochet
After a “full-throttle” offseason fizzled out last winter, the Red Sox have seemingly made a concerted effort toward adding to a promising young core.
Boston was apparently one of the finalists in the record-setting bidding war for superstar outfielder Juan Soto, with the Red Sox reportedly offering $700 million to the 26-year-old slugger before he eventually inked a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets.
Just a few days after striking out on Soto, Boston did acquire a sought-after ace by dealing a bundle of prospects for White Sox southpaw Garrett Crochet.
Crochet gives Boston a No. 1 starter and power arm at the top of its rotation. Still, Craig Breslow and Boston’s top brass need to add another starter and a right-handed bat before spring training opens.
Bill Belichick named UNC head coach
After spending most of the 2024 NFL season appearing on several media ventures, Bill Belichick agreed to return to the sidelines in 2025.
But after nearly 50 years spent coaching in the NFL, the former Patriots head coach is going to the collegiate ranks.
Belichick accepted a position as head coach of the University of North Carolina on Dec. 11, with the eight-time Super Bowl champion set to immerse himself in the world of NIL and the transfer portal at Chapel Hill.
“I always wanted to coach in college football,” Belichick said at his introductory press conference. “It just never really worked out. I had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK. This is really kind of a dream come true.”
If this is it for Belichick at the NFL level, he finishes with 333 career wins — just 15 away from surpassing Don Shula for the most coaching victories in NFL history.
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