Boston Celtics Autistic Anthem Singer Recalls Life-Changing Night

Bridgewater resident Erik Dunn had the opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday night when he took the mic and sang the national anthem at the Boston Celtics' Autism Acceptance Night.

Basketball Beginnings

Dunn, a Middleboro native, has had his eye on this for quite a while.

"I've been working on this for the last eight years. My senior year of high school, when I graduated, my first-ever performance was on the Middleboro Sachems' basketball court," Dunn recalled.

That was just the beginning. Over the past seven years, his resumé has grown tremendously.

Taking the Mic and Building a Resumé

"Since then, 2018 and '19, I had three performances with the Paw Sox, two performances with the Providence Bruins and I'm now going to enter my third season with the Woo Sox," Dunn said.

Though he's performed for some notable teams, one venue remained on the top of Erik's list: TD Garden, home of the Bruins and Celtics.

Striving for the Celtics

"Last year, I sent over to Boston everything I had and I said, 'this is going to be so unrealistic in a way because Boston seems so unimaginably unreachable, there's no way I'm going to get there this early,'" Dunn said.

As luck would have it, Dunn's dream was about to become a reality.

"I got an email saying Autism Acceptance Night," Dunn said "(It said) 'we loved your story and we love your journey. Let us help you create the next chapter of your life.'"

On Saturday, April 5, Dunn took the court for the Boston Celtics' Autism Acceptance Night at TD Garden in front of a crowd of 18,264 fans.

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Erik Dunn Sings National Anthem at Autism Acceptance Night

"My nerves were so shot. I didn't have like full smile grin until I hit 'the rockets' red glare' and that's when I got the first pop," Dunn said, referring to the thunderous applause from the crowd.

"On a night where I was looking to change my life from that night on, I cared mostly more about people like me that struggle to express who they are because they're afraid to showcase the gifts that the Lord gave them and they're afraid to show the blessing that God made them to be," Dunn said.

Encouraging Words For Those Living With Autism

"All I wanted to do that night was increase the awareness of people that have my disability by saying my disability does not define my talent," Dunn said. "It's the work I put in, the effort I put in and the passion I have that defines my character and the structure of the foundation I'm going to keep building."

You can see Erik perform the National Anthem at the Woo Sox Autism Acceptance Game on Saturday, April 26 at 4 p.m.