BANGOR, Maine (WABI) -It turns out some things really are worth waiting for.
Just ask Wayne Smith of Bangor, who may be the Celtics’ number-one fan.
Smith, an Army veteran, has traveled to see the Red Sox, the Patriots and even several NASCAR races over the years. But he had never been to a Boston Celtics game — until now.
When Celtics fans from all over Maine descended on Boston to see fellow Mainer and Dallas Mavericks player Cooper Flagg play at TD Garden for the first time, Smith decided it was finally his turn to make the trip, too.
“Everyone was super nice there,” he said, adding that seeing one of his favorite players, Jayson Tatum, back on the court made the night even more special.
But neither of those things turned out to be the best part.
Joined by his family, Smith started the adventure not knowing he’d end up making a lot of new friends along the way — and by a lot, he means a whole stadium full.
It all started with a homemade sign.
Smith brought a hand-lettered poster that read: “My first Celtics game — 80 years in the waiting — from Bangor, Maine.”
“My picture came up on the jumbo screen, and I was really surprised to see it,” Smith said. “The big screen was full of people holding up shirts and waving, but I was the only one that had a sign there.”
It didn’t take long for his message to get noticed. The sign made the Jumbotron, and the crowd at TD Garden erupted.
“They roared for me too when I was holding up my sign,” he said.
Other Mainers in the arena noticed as well, including Colleen Gilley of Bangor, who snapped photos and took to social media to track Smith down and share his story. Multiple posts went viral in the process.
“My daughter told me, she says, ‘You couldn’t believe the people,’” Smith recalled of the outpouring of support and attention.
For Smith, the moment felt surreal.
“I’d hold it up, up and down, and finally it came up on the big screen,” he said. “I never thought it’d come to this.”
He said he’d often watched other fans on TV holding signs at Red Sox and Patriots games and thought he would do the same.
“I’ve watched the Red Sox and Patriots games, and a lot of people had signs,” he said. “I figured if I made a sign, maybe I’d be on TV — and it came true.”
He also finally answered a question many people had been asking him for years: why he had never gone to see the Celtics in person.
“I always watch them on TV, and I figured it was time to see them in person,” he said.
As for whether he’d go back?
“I’ll go back again anytime,” Smith said with a smile. “Maybe they’ll send me tickets!”
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