Robert Williams III Prepares to Finally Play in Boston: 'It's a Surreal Feeling'

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📍BOSTON — Robert Williams III was traded to the Trail Blazers on the eve of training camp in 2023, as part of the trade that sent Jrue Holiday to Boston on the heels of the Damian Lillard trade to Milwaukee.

Three seasons later, he still has yet to play against the Celtics, the team he spent the first five seasons of his career with and helped lead to an NBA Finals in 2022. Every time the Blazers have played the Celtics, he's been injured.

Tonight, he'll finally get that chance.

"It’s a surreal feeling," Williams told me on Sunday after the Blazers practiced at Boston University.

Williams' belated return to Boston comes as he's in the midst of the healthiest and most productive season he's had since that Celtics run to the Finals.

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