Brianna Wakefield stood in the center of the hallowed TD Garden parquet, receiving loud applause from the Boston faithful with her late parents, Tim and Stacy, watching from above.
The Celtics throughout their Finals run have recognized champions from the other Boston sports teams. In the second quarter of Monday’s Game 5, they celebrated Tim Wakefield’s notable contributions to the community.
Wakefield, a beloved knuckleballer who won two World Series with the Red Sox, in 2004 and 2007, died last October from brain cancer. His wife Stacy died months later, from pancreatic cancer in February.
Their daughter, Brianna, smiled and waved to the crowd, during a commercial break with the Celtics up 46-31, holding a “Heroes Among Us” award in her other hand.
The award is given during every Celtics home game to an “outstanding individual who made exceptional and lasting contributions to their communities.”
Bruins legend Zdeno Chara received the award in Game 1 before former Patriots special teamer and three-time Super Bowl champion Matthew Slater got the special nod in Game 2.
The Celtics paid specific attention to Wakefield being an inaugural captain for the Jimmy Fund, raising “millions of dollars towards cancer research.” The team also highlighted how Wakefield won the Roberto Clemente Award, in 2010.
Wakefield called receiving that award his highest honor.
“This has nothing to do with baseball,” he said at the time. “This has nothing to do with your statistics. … this is the highest accomplishment you can attain, the highest compliment that you can get from somebody, and I’m very honored and humbled.”
Wakefield, a 17-year member of the organization, retired in 2011 before his induction into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2016.
In addition to his longtime support of the Jimmy Fund, Wakefield was involved with “Pitching for Kids,” a non-profit organization dedicated to providing grants to improve the lives of children throughout New England. He also supports the Space Coast Early Intervention Center in his native Melbourne, Fla.
