A pivotal development in Chris Boucher's next NBA chapter with the Boston Celtics has been revealed.
For many years now, the final remnant of the 2019 championship-era roster had been sharpshooting fan favorite and gritty hustle player Chris Boucher. Though, it’s worth noting that this could be revisited if recently acquired Patrick McCaw ends up sticking around with the Raptors 905.
While everyone else he shared the court with during that special time has come and gone, Boucher stood out as a lasting relic of a past chapter in Raptors history. Unfortunately, his time with the team also reached a bittersweet end — after Toronto made it clear they weren’t interested in extending his contract, he walked in free agency to join divisional rival, the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics have been a powerhouse in recent years, not just in the Eastern Conference but also establishing themselves once again at the top of the NBA, winning the 2024 NBA Championship after beating the Dallas Mavericks. But just as Boston rose to the spotlight so quickly, their luck took a turn for the worse.
They’re now dealing with a tough situation after losing Jayson Tatum to a serious Achilles injury. That leaves Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard, and the rest of the team to step up and lead. Meanwhile, the Celtics have also made critical roster moves to shed salary (parting ways with Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday) and move out of the luxury tax zone, which adds another layer to their hazy outlook.
As he moves into this next chapter of his NBA career, his identity on the court will also shift — he’ll be sporting a new jersey number, No. 99, no longer known as numéro vingt-cinq like he was in Toronto.
Chris Boucher set to rock jersey No. 99 with the Boston Celtics
As NBA numerologist Etienne Catalan on X pointed out in a post showing Boucher’s new jersey, he’s the first player since Justin Champagnie (another ex-Raptors player) to wear the number 99 in 2023. Overall, according to Basketball Reference, there have been five players in Celtics history to wear No. 99: Roy Rogers in 1998, Darko Milicic in 2013, Jae Crowder from 2015-2017, cult favorite Tacko Fall from 2020-2021, and the previously mentioned Justin Champagnie.
Since Boucher managed to leave a lasting mark in Toronto — even if he wasn’t a superstar — it’ll be interesting to see if he can build a solid run in Boston. Right now, though, he’s only signed on for one year, so it's a bit of a wait-and-see.