BOSTON — Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle opened his pregame news conference Monday night with a call for help for former Boston Celtics trainer Dr. Ed Lacerte, who has been diagnosed with acute monocytic leukemia.
“As many of you know, he’s fighting for his life,” Carlisle said. “He has aggressive leukemia, and there’s an effort right now to find a stem cell match.”
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Lacerte, who served for 30 years as the Celtics’ head trainer and physical therapist, was a three-time winner of the Joe O’Toole NBA athletic trainer of the year award. He has worked in a similar role with USA Basketball, operating as the athletic trainer for the 1992 gold medal-winning Dream Team, among other national teams.
Since Lacerte’s diagnosis, the Celtics organization has encouraged fans to join the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) registry in hopes of finding a bone marrow donor for him and others affected by leukemia. Among other efforts, the franchise will host a cheek-swabbing station at TD Garden during Monday night’s game against the Pacers. All fans between the ages of 18 and 35 are welcome to get their cheek swabbed on Level 4 behind Sections 18 and 19.
Rick Carlisle advocated for former #Celtics trainer Ed Lacerte, who’s battling leukemia and searching for a stem cell donation, pre-game before Celtics-Pacers tonight.
–@CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/mXoh85eMGJ
— Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) December 23, 2025
Carlisle instructed fans on how they can help out. The Celtics have directed fans to the NMDP website.
“To register, you need to be between ages 18 and 35,” Carlisle said. “It’s a simple 20-second cheek swab to find a match. It can be done at home. And donating is as simple as giving blood. My understanding is that he has a bit of a rare blood type, and so, the search is a bit more challenging than perhaps other cases. But for more details, go to Celtics social media, and you can find out more.”
Lacerte joined the Celtics organization in 1987, after Carlisle had wrapped up his third and final season for the team as a player. Carlisle said the two crossed paths while he was working as the president of the NBA Coaches Association and Lacerte was the treasurer of the NBA Trainers Association.
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The Celtics have recently worn shooting shirts that say “20 seconds could save a life” on the front and “Lacerte” on the back. Carlisle said the Pacers have pins to honor Lacerte and will also wear the shooting shirts during a game later in the season.
“This is a great man,” Carlisle said. “He served his country. He served this city, this organization, and it’s a difficult struggle right now. So, anything any of us can do to help bring awareness, we would like to do.”
This news was originally published on this post .
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