Inasmuch as I want a Jayson Tatum or a Jaylen Brown Funko pop, I would rather dream of their Funko pops than have Boston drama.
That sounded wrong.
Anyway, let’s just have Funko stay away from my Boston Celtics?
I have 200 Funko pops at my disposal and I sure as hell have a couple of Boston Celtic Funko pops in my collection. I bought a Larry Bird Funko because I adored his rivalry with Magic Johnson. I figured that – at least buying these two retired icons is basically what is pictured in every sports fan’s mind.
I list down Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Paul Pierce as my Top 5 Boston players of all-time with Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Tommy Heinsohn, Dave Cowens, and Dennis Johnson on the Second Team.
With that said, it feels as if the moment a Boston player gets his Funko line, bad things happen.
At the moment, the Beantown Funko collection lists down Bird, Rajon Rondo, Isaiah Thomas, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker.
I bought a Kemba Walker Funko pop because I thought he’s the correction the fans needed after the failed Kyrie Irving project. Walker came to Boston not only as a replacement for Kyrie but also to Terry Rozier. After the Celtics claimed Kemba, Scary Terry would then move to Charlotte in some sort of virtual exchange complete with the monetary incentives. I wanted Kemba to just unleash his authority because he has been yearning for the playoffs in Charlotte. When Irving was traded to Boston for Isaiah Thomas, I was really iffy with the whole situation. Despite this, I support Kyrie and even bought my kid his jersey – the first and only time I shopped at an NBA store. I can’t really say that Walker was a failed move… but his gameplay never lived up to expectations.
With the exception of Irving, none of these players have returned to their All-Star goodness. Sure, I batched Bird here but he’s currently outside the Boston organization ever since he retired in 1994. Of the five current players from the aforementioned list, none of these players were part of the Boston organization three years after their toys were launched.
What’s funny about this is that four of the six players listed are the last four All-Star point guards of the Celtics. If you bought these Funko pops and you’re looking to sell them for a higher value, I don’t think collecting Boston point guards is a good investment.
The Kemba pop is like the Detroit Blake Griffin pop, the Dallas Kristaps Porzingis pop, and the Houston Russell Westbrook pop. I know Kristaps can still turn things around with the Mavericks but it’s not like he’s going to be the team’s superstar. And while Blake and Russ are still household names, people will not remember these guys as a Piston or as a Rocket. Westbrook is always an Oklahoma City Thunder in my book and Blake Griffin is a Los Angeles Clipper.
I guess one of these Boston players could get a proper sendoff via comeback. IT4 has turned into a journeyman after his Boston stint but there is talk that Brad Stevens is pushing for a Boston reunion with his top guard. The move could be a low-key boss move because even if Thomas has lost a lot of his awesomeness because of injuries, he can still turn it up as a second-stringer.
This is going to be good for those who bought Thomas' Funko pop. Just imagine if Thomas does well in his comeback like what happened to Derrick Rose's move to New York. For sure, the Boston fans would want to buy his pop figure that was first released in 2017.
Nonetheless, it feels as if the Boston players with Funko Pops are cursed. If Funko wants to create something for a Boston star, maybe it’s the retired guys…
… or former King Celtic Brian Scalabrine?