RedsArmy presents “Celebrity Fan Friday”: Maria Menounos

For the last year or so, I’ve used “Fan Friday” to highlight Boston Celtics fans from all over the world. I wanted to step it up a notch this season and bring our readers fan profiles from the world of entertainment, music and professional sports. Well, I’m proud to bring you all the first installment of “Celebrity Fan Friday”!

Once a month, we’ll interview and profile Celtics fans from screen, television and the music industry, amongst others.

And who better to feature for our first such piece than the Host of “Extra” and Medford, Massachusetts’ own Maria Menounos! Maria is a die-hard supporter of the Celts. You can find her courtside at TD Garden, Staples Center and she’s even done play-by-play with Mike and Tommy. Maria took some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions for us:

 I’ve always been a fan but the Pierce era, from his rookie year on, took my fandom to another level.

Who is your all-time favorite Celtic and why?

Captain Paul Pierce for consistently holding it down all these years. I still think he’s underrated in the NBA. And honorable mention to KG. His incredible tireless passion is inspiring in my own life.  And another for Doc Rivers. What he did last year alone proves he’s one of the best all time coaches.  Can you name another coach who could have done the same with such a limited line up?

Of all the games you’ve attended in person, which is your favorite one, or evokes the best memories?

Sitting courtside cheering for the celts in the Staples Center with Dane Cook, directly across the floor from the Lakers bench and Jack Nicholson, wearing the green and having Jack call Jerry Buss to have my seat moved.  Teasing Jack at the bar after was almost as much fun

Why are the Celtics so important you and how have they impacted your life?

As I said about KG, they inspire me. It’s not just the championships. I’m more proud of the year they survived Lebron and all those seven game series and pushed the Lakers to near brink without Perk. Last year was an even more incredible feat. They essentially had Rondo and, by NBA standards, three older players and somehow came within inches of beating the Heat and thus the title.

And when the new big three came together, it was about teamwork and putting egos aside.  It was a model that is now the NBA standard.

I want to thank Maria for taking time to participate in our first “Celebrity Fan Friday”. Be sure to check her out on Extra and follow her on Twitter. Special thanks to Gary of BWR for helping me get in touch w/Maria. As always, thanks for reading. UBUNTU.