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Inside the swanky business offices of the Boston Celtics there are rooms dedicated to legendary figures – from the team’s most prolific coach and first president Red Auerbach to Bill Russell, one of the most iconic basketball players ever.

With more than a decade of experience working in sales for the reigning NBA champion Celtics, Jonathan “Jay” Robinson ’13 is striving for legendary status as well. As the team’s group sales manager, Robinson ranks as the team’s top ticket salesperson and among the top 10 in the NBA. During the 2023-24 season, Robinson achieved more than $2 million in revenue and sold more than 10,000 tickets.

Robinson, 35, attributes much of his success to skills he learned at ΢��Ȧ and through one of his mentors, Professor of Communication E.J. Min.

“Min taught me how to carry myself, show up on time and stressed the value of bringing the right energy to the room,” Robinson says. “And he’d always harp on asking questions. In this field that has been a big asset. If you’re going into these meetings and not letting your voice be heard, you aren’t going to stand out.”

Min says he always knew Robinson would stand out.

“Jonathan possesses three great qualities: intelligence, a positive personality and hard work ethics,” Min says. “He is interested, highly motivated and directed and puts in the energy and time to do a good job. More importantly, he approaches each new learning task with confidence and enthusiasm.”

One thing Robinson has been confident about is basketball.

“I’ve played the sport my entire life and it’s in my blood,” he says.

A native of Indiana, he was a member of the Amateur Athletic Union national championship-winning team as a teen, and in high school, he played alongside such former NBA stars as Gordon Hayward and Greg Oden.

After attending Indiana State University for a year, Robinson moved to Rhode Island and enrolled at ΢��Ȧ. He majored in communication with the hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster. He didn’t join the basketball team but he did host a show on ΢��Ȧ’s WXIN radio station devoted to covering sports on the college and professional scene.

After graduating in 2013, Robinson, who had been working as a Bank of America customer sales manager, decided to pursue an inside ticket sales position with the Celtics. The position required making 100 to 150 calls a day. For Robinson, that was easy. “I can talk about basketball all day,” he says.

During his first eight years with the team, Robinson worked as a senior group sales account executive overseeing the Celtics Court of Dreams youth basketball program and selling suite rentals and tickets to large groups. In 2022, he was promoted to his current position – group sales manager. His responsibilities include creating in-arena fan experiences and facilitating theme nights.

“Last year, I put together the Celtics’ first Cancer Awareness Night and that was really touching for me because my brother passed away from cancer,” he says. “While the goal is to generate revenue, working with various nonprofits to make a difference and raise awareness is the most fulfilling part of the job for me.”

Moving forward, Robinson hopes to climb the corporate ladder to land a president or vice-president of sales position and continue to impart his knowledge with high school and college students. Last year, he was a guest speaker in Min’s class.

“I tell students that internships are the best thing you can do,” he says. “In this business, it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you. I also tell students to use me as an example for finding a way to do whatever you want. While many of my peers in the Celtics office went to elite schools, I represent ΢��Ȧ, a small school, yet I feel like I belong.”

Learn more about ΢��Ȧ’s Communication BA program and Sports Management BS program.