BOSTON CELTICS FRANCHISE HISTORY
Previous Franchise Names: None
Managing Partners: Wyc Grousbeck, H. Irving Grousbeck, Stephen Paglicua, Robert Epstein, Wendy Cooper
President of Basketball Operations: Danny Ainge
Head Coach: Brad Stevens
Best Season: 1972-73 (68-14, .829)
Playoff Appearances: 52
NBA Championships: 17 (1956-57, 1958-1966, 1967-69, 1973-74, 1975-76, 1980-81, 1983-84, 1985-86, 2007-08)
sit on the bench during a game against the New Jersey Nets at Boston Garden on April 13, 1986. (Photo by John Blanding/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)No team in NBA history can top the 17 championships of the Boston Celtics, eight of which came in consecutive years from 1959-66, the longest streak of its kind in major North American sports.
The Celtics dynasty that ran from 1956-57 through 1968-69 was triggered by a draft day trade in which Boston acquired the rights to University of San Francisco center Bill Russell, who led the club to 11 titles in a 13-year career. The first nine championships were under the tutelage of legendary Red Auerbach, who was hired as coach and general manager in 1950 and remained as a major decision-maker for the franchise until the mid-1990s.
Auerbach oversaw the trade for Russell as well as the drafting of franchise icons Larry Bird and John Havlicek.
The team rode Havlicek and Dave Cowens to two more championships in the mid-1970s before hitting hard times, but the arrival of Bird—a rookie from Indiana State—in 1979 launched another run of excellence that included three championships in the 1980s.
Boston’s most recent championship was won in 2007-08, the first season after general manager Danny Ainge—a staple of the three 1980s title teams—swung for the fences with a pair of blockbuster trades that netted stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to play with longtime Celtic standout Paul Pierce.
The Celtics are one of three current NBA franchises—along with the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors—that trace their lineage back to the founding of the old Basketball Association of America in 1946.
Auerbach coached the team from 1950-51 through 1965-66 and is the franchise’s winningest coach with a regular-season record of 795-397, while also going 90-58 with nine championships in the postseason. Besides Russell, other coaches to lead Boston to titles include Tom Heinsohn (two), K.C. Jones (two), Doc Rivers and Bill Fitch.
Boston Celtics Career Leaders (as of 3/9/2016)
- Games, John Havlicek, 1270
- Points, John Havlicek, 26395
- Rebounds, Bill Russell, 21620
- Assists, Bob Cousy, 6945
- Steals, Paul Pierce, 1583
- Blocks, Robert Parish, 1703
BALTIMORE, MD – CIRCA 1974: John Havlicek #17 of the Boston Celtics standing out side the key in this portrait against the Washington Bullets circa 1974 during an NBA basketball game at the Capital Centre in Baltimore, Maryland. Havlicek played for the Celtics from 1962 – 78. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics Retired Numbers
- 00, Robert Parish
- 1, Walter Brown
- 2, Red Auerbach
- 3, Dennis Johnson
- 6, Bill Russell
- 10, JoJo White
- 14, Bob Cousy
- 15, Tom Heinsohn
- 16, Tom Sanders
- 17, John Havlicek
- 18, Dave Cowens
- 19, Don Nelson
- 21, Bill Sharman
- 22, Ed Macauley
- 23, Frank Ramsey
- 24, Sam Jones
- 25, K.C. Jones
- 31, Cedric Maxwell
- 32, Kevin McHale
- 33, Larry Bird
- 35, Reggie Lewis
- Loscy, Jim Loscutoff
- Mic, Johnny Most
Boston Celtics Official Links
Official Team Site: nba.com/celtics
Official Twitter Handle: @celtics
Official Facebook Page: Boston Celtics
Official Instagram Page: Boston Celtics
Official Arena Page: TD Garden
Boston Celtics Beat Writers
Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald, @SteveBHoop
Mark Murphy, Boston Herald, @Murf56
Gary Washburn, Boston Globe, @GwashNBAGlobe
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe, @AdamHimmelsbach
A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE.com, @Sherrodbcsn
Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston, @ESPNForsberg
Jay King, Masslive.com, @byjayking
Related Boston Celtics Blogs and Links
Boston Celtics Logo History, courtesy of Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos.net
Salary Page: Boston Celtics Salaries at Spotrac
FanSided Boston Celtics: Hardwood Houdini
SB Nation Boston Celtics: Celtics Blog
ESPN TrueHoop Boston Celtics: Celtics Hub
HoopsHabit Boston Celtics Archive: Boston Celtics
Bleacher Report Boston Celtics Team Stream: Boston Celtics
RealGM Boston Celtics Page: Boston Celtics
Stats and retired number information courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com
