Smart: I've heard fans in Boston make racist comments

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart acknowledges he's heard racist remarks during games from fans in Boston.

"I've heard a couple of things," Smart said Thursday, according to Yahoo Sports' Keith Smith. "It's hard to hear that and then have them support us as players. It's kind of sad and sickening."

Smart's comments echo those of Brooklyn Nets star and former Celtics guard Kyrie Irving, who recently said he hopes there's no "subtle racism" when the teams' playoff series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Friday. Irving played at a fanless TD Garden earlier this season but hasn't appeared in a game in front of his old fans since joining the Nets.

While Smart and Irving both admit they've heard racist comments at Celtics games, team president Danny Ainge took a contrary stance.

"I think that we take those kinds of things seriously. I never heard any of (those claims) from any player that I've ever played with in my 26 years in Boston," Ainge said, according to NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg. "I never heard that before from Kyrie and I talked to him quite a bit."