Macklin Celebrini, widely considered the #1 draft pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, has named three basketball legends as his inspirations for becoming an elite athlete. Celebrini told The Athletic about watching his father, an in-demand personal trainer, work with the likes of Steve Nash ("Uncle Steve"), Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. “It almost became an expectation in our household. Like, Mack barely remembers going to those workouts with Nash. And yet there’s still an expectation that gets set from that experience. That was just the world our family was in. We’ve grown up in an elite athlete’s world and seeing them work, seeing the dedication it takes," Celebrini's brother Aiden said. Furthermore, Aiden was drafted in the 6th round of the 2019 draft. Additionally, he currently plays at Boston University.
Rick, Celebrini's father, is now the Warriors' director of sports medicine and performance. He remembers this past summer, rehabbing with Macklin after a nasty injury during an international tournament. “I’d heard reports … about his work ethic, commitment and discipline. Honestly — and not because he’s my kid — but I was blown away by how locked in he was (during the rehab). I’d go out and watch Mack quite often go up and shoot pucks or stickhandle with his other hand. He’d just listen to music and lose himself in it. Just playing hockey and training and stickhandling with his left hand," Rick said.
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Celebrini Settles Into College, Awaits Draft
Furthermore, this fall, Celebrini joined his brother at Boston University. “Coming into school and being (in Boston), I mean, we’re brothers. But at the end of the day we’re best friends on top of everything. We do everything together. We train together every day, every summer. It ended up feeling odd for me. Selfishly, it wasn’t that I felt guilty, I just missed my brother. I was going through this process, seeing this new team and this new program that we’re joining together and I felt half of it. Because I wasn’t experiencing the other half with him," Aiden said.
Macklin has nine points in his first six games for the Terriers. If he keeps that pace, then he is almost a lock for the #1 pick next year. However, he isn't the consensus #1 pick just yet. The 2024 class is pretty stacked with talent. Just behind Celebrini is left winger Cole Eiserman, who currently plays for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Both are considered worthy of the #1 spot. However, it just depends who has the better year on the ice.
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