As the Philadelphia 76ers opened their first-round NBA Playoffs series against the Boston Celtics, Dunkin' made sure one familiar Boston staple disappeared from stores across the city.
According to NBC Philadelphia, for the duration of the series, the chain has temporarily renamed its signature Boston Kreme donut as the “Philly Kreme,” turning a decades-old pastry into the latest casualty of the Boston-Philadelphia sports rivalry.
Beginning Sunday, April 19, at participating locations throughout Philadelphia, customers looking for a Boston Kreme will instead find the same donut under a new name. The pastry itself has not changed: it is still the classic combination of vanilla filling and chocolate icing that has long been associated with the original Boston Cream Pie dessert. Only the branding is different.
The move arrives as Philadelphia prepares for another playoff showdown with Boston, one of the Eastern Conference's most bitter rivalries. Dunkin', despite being founded in Massachusetts and closely tied to Boston culture, said it wanted to lean into the local mood as the Sixers faced the Celtics.
In a statement, the company described the renamed donut as “the same kreme-filled classic, just with a name Philly fans can get behind.”
Dunkin' added: “Because during playoffs, there’s no room for Boston in Philly … not on the court, and definitely not in a dozen donut box.”
The company also pointed out that “Philly really knows how to run on Dunkin'."
The irony, of course, is that the original dessert behind the donut is one of New England’s most recognizable foods. A traditional Boston Cream Pie is made with layers of vanilla sponge cake, pastry cream, and chocolate topping.
The donut version simplifies that formula into a yeast shell filled with custard and finished with chocolate frosting. The dessert has been associated with Boston since the 19th century and was later named the official dessert of Massachusetts.
Philadelphia fans may have embraced the temporary name change, but the Celtics quickly reminded everyone which city still had the upper hand. According to ESPN, Boston rolled to a 123-91 win in Game 1, with Jayson Tatum scoring 25 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and adding seven assists in his latest strong performance since returning from a torn Achilles.
Jaylen Brown said afterward that the victory reflected “Celtics basketball,” while 76ers coach Nick Nurse called parts of Philadelphia’s effort “absolutely unacceptable.”
