JOHN KARALIS was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI, and is the Celtics beat writer for BostonSportsJournal.com

Education: John graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball. He was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society. He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Men’s Basketball team, is one of the schools top all-time scorers, and still holds the record for most career rebounds. He is the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball (Greece).

Career: John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997. He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor. He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018.

He also is one of Boston’s original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006. In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com. He has also hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.

Personal: John currently resides in Plainville and, despite his advancing age, can still be found on a basketball court from time to time.

Getting to know John

Fondest sports memory growing up: The first time my mom forced me to go to a T-ball practice as a child. I was perfectly happy to be the chubby kid reading books on the couch but Mom forced me to try sports and it changed the entire course of my life.

Sports memory you'd like a mulligan on: Going 2-12 from the free throw line in a tournament game we lost by single digits. I’d otherwise had a monster game with something like 26 points and 16 rebounds. I’ve never taken a loss more personally.

Favorite Boston sports moment you've witnessed: Being at the 1996 AFC championship game, with my 11-year-old brother, sitting on the old metal benches at Foxboro Stadium. When they won, fans picked my brother up and crowd-surfed him.

The snapshot moment you love as a reporter: Every time I leave any arena and I see the big empty gym. I’ll go out of my way to hit the floor one more time just to see it. It doesn’t matter where, I just love to see this big, empty arena with the court at the center of it. I love to look up at all the empty seats and think how often they fill up to watch this amazing sport that I love so much, and how lucky I am to be a part of it.

Favorite amateur Boston sports spot: The basketball courts in the Fens. I used to skip classes to run there when the weather was nice.

On a rare off day, you'll find me: In the gym (if I’m being good) trying to stay in some kind of shape other than round. Also spending time with my niece and nephews. There’s also a very strong chance I’m still watching basketball even if I don’t have to write about it.