This is a comprehensive list of the accomplishments and records of the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are an American professional basketball team currently playing in the National Basketball Association.
The Celtics' 18 NBA Championships are the most of any NBA franchise. Boston's first 13 championships were won as the Walter A. Brown Trophy (original trophy retired in 1976), and five recent championships were won as the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy (introduced in 1977 as the second incarnation of the Walter A. Brown Trophy, renamed in 1984). [1]
Since 2022, the Eastern Conference championship trophy was renamed the Bob Cousy Trophy in honor of the legendary Celtics player. [2] [3]
Since 2022, the Atlantic Division championship was awarded to that division's first-place team, and was named the Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton Trophy in honor of the first African American player to sign an NBA contract. [4] [5]
Since 2023, the NBA has awarded the Maurice Podoloff Trophy to the team who finished with the best overall record in the regular season. [6]
37 people were inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as players, 6 – as coaches, 6 – as contributors. [7]
Boston Celtics Hall of Famers | |||||||||
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Players | |||||||||
No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted | No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
22 | Ed Macauley | F/C | 1950–1956 | 1960 | 17 | Andy Phillip | G | 1956–1958 | 1961 |
14 | Bob Cousy | G | 1950–1963 | 1971 | 6 | Bill Russell 3 | C | 1956–1969 | 1975 |
21 | Bill Sharman | G | 1951–1961 | 1976 | 23 | Frank Ramsey | G/F | 1954–1964 | 1982 |
24 | Sam Jones | G/F | 1957–1969 | 1984 | 17 | John Havlicek | G/F | 1962–1978 | 1984 |
15 20 | Tom Heinsohn 1 | F | 1956–1965 | 1986 | 20 | Bob Houbregs | C/F | 1954 | 1987 |
44 | Pete Maravich | G | 1980 | 1987 | 4 34 | Clyde Lovellette | C | 1962–1964 | 1988 |
25 27 | K. C. Jones | G | 1958–1967 | 1989 | 44 | Dave Bing | G | 1977–1978 | 1990 |
18 | Dave Cowens | F/C | 1970–1980 | 1991 | 7 | Nate Archibald | G | 1978–1983 | 1991 |
5 | Bill Walton | C | 1985–1988 | 1993 | 18 | Bailey Howell | F | 1966–1970 | 1997 |
19 | Arnie Risen | C | 1955–1958 | 1998 | 33 | Larry Bird 2 | F | 1979–1992 | 1998 |
32 | Kevin McHale | F | 1980–1993 | 1999 | 11 | Bob McAdoo | C/F | 1979 | 2000 |
00 | Robert Parish | C | 1980–1994 | 2003 | 12 | Dominique Wilkins | F | 1994–1995 | 2006 |
3 | Dennis Johnson | G | 1983–1990 | 2010 | 53 | Artis Gilmore | C | 1988 | 2011 |
20 | Gary Payton | G | 2004–2005 | 2013 | 10 | Jo Jo White | G | 1969–1979 | 2015 |
36 | Shaquille O'Neal | C | 2010–2011 | 2016 | 11 | Charlie Scott | G | 1975–1977 | 2018 |
40 | Dino Rađa | F/C | 1994–1997 | 2018 | 20 | Ray Allen | G | 2007–2012 | 2018 |
11 | Chuck Cooper | F | 1950–1954 | 2019 | 4 | Carl Braun | G | 1961–1962 | 2019 |
44 | Paul Westphal | G | 1972–1975 | 2019 | 5 | Kevin Garnett | F | 2007–2013 | 2020 |
34 | Paul Pierce | F | 1998–2013 | 2021 | 4 | Chauncey Billups | G | 1997–1998 | 2024 |
Coaches | |||||||||
Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted | ||
Doggie Julian | Head coach | 1948–1950 | 1968 | 2 | Red Auerbach | Head coach | 1950–1966 | 1969 | |
Rick Pitino | Head coach | 1997–2001 | 2013 | 15 | Tom Heinsohn 1 | Head coach | 1969–1978 | 2015 | |
Bill Fitch | Head coach | 1979–1983 | 2019 | 6 | Bill Russell 3 | Head coach | 1966–1969 | 2021 | |
Contributors | |||||||||
Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted | ||
1 | Walter A. Brown | Owner | 1945–1964 | 1965 | Bill Mokray | Executive | 1946–1969 | 1965 | |
28 | Wayne Embry | C | 1966–1968 | 1999 | Dave Gavitt | Executive | 1990–1994 | 2006 | |
16 | Satch Sanders 4 | F | 1960–1973 | 2011 | 17 | Don Barksdale | F | 1953–1955 | 2012 |
Additionally, Johnny Most and Mike Gorman were honored with the Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award. Most was awarded in 1993 for his 37-year career as the Celtics radio announcer, while Gorman was awarded in 2021 for his 40-year career as the Celtics television announcer.
Notes:
The Celtics have retired 23 numbers, [8] [9] the most of any professional sports franchise in North America. [10]
NBA Eastern Conference Finals MVP
NBA Defensive Player of the Year
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NBA All-Star Game head coaches
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946 as one of the league's original eight teams, the Celtics play their home games at TD Garden, a shared arena with the NHL's Boston Bruins. The Celtics are regarded as one of the most successful teams in NBA history and hold the records for most NBA championships won, with 18, and most recorded wins of any NBA franchise.
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. Auerbach was also the head coach of the Washington Capitols and Tri-Cities Blackhawks. As a coach, Auerbach set NBA records with 938 wins and nine championships. After his coaching retirement in 1966, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics until his death. As general manager and team president of the Celtics, he won an additional seven NBA titles for a total of 16 in a span of 29 years, the most of any individual in NBA history, making him one of the most successful team officials in the history of North American professional sports.
Thomas William Heinsohn was an American professional basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. He was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a player, coach and broadcaster. He played for the Celtics from 1956 to 1965, and also coached the team from 1969 to 1978. He spent over 30 years as the color commentator for the Celtics' local broadcasts alongside play-by-play commentator Mike Gorman. He is regarded as one of the most iconic Celtics figures in the franchise's history, known during his lifetime for his charisma and loyalty to the team and its traditions. From this, he earned the nickname "Mr. Celtic".
David William Cowens is an American former professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he played the center position and occasionally played power forward. Cowens spent most of his playing career with the Boston Celtics. He was the 1971 NBA Rookie of the Year and the 1973 NBA Most Valuable Player. Cowens won NBA championships as a member of the Celtics in 1974 and 1976. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. Cowens has also held coaching positions in the NBA, CBA, and WNBA.
Thomas Ernest "Satch" Sanders is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played his entire professional career as a power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Sanders won eight NBA championships and is tied for third for the most NBA championships. He is also one of three NBA players with an unsurpassed 8–0 record in NBA Finals series. After his playing retirement, he served as a head coach for the Harvard Crimson men's basketball team and the Boston Celtics. Sanders was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2011.
The Celtics–Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics and the Lakers are the two most storied franchises in the NBA, and the rivalry has been called the greatest in the league. The teams have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, with their first such meeting being in 1959. They would both go on to dominate the league in the 1960s and 1980s, facing each other in the Finals six times in the 1960s, three times in the 1980s, and twice since the year 2000.
The 76ers–Celtics rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. The two teams have the most meetings in the NBA playoffs, playing each other in 22 series, with the Celtics winning 15 of them. The 76ers are considered to be the Celtics' second biggest rival, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Celtics–Pistons rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. The two teams played each other in the NBA playoffs five times from 1985 to 1991, with Boston winning in 1985 and 1987, and Detroit winning en route to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 1988 to 1990. The rivalry peaked in the late 1980s, featuring players such as Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer.
Joseph Henry White was an American basketball player. As an amateur, he played at the University of Kansas, where he was named a second-team All-American twice. White was part of the U.S. men's basketball team during the 1968 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal with the team.
The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1975–76 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2 to win their 13th NBA Championship. Celtics point guard Jo Jo White was named as the series MVP.
The 1974 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1973–74 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 to win the NBA championship. This would mark the last time the Celtics won a playoff game 7 on the road until 2022, when they defeated the Miami Heat in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami.
Stephen Phil Kuberski is an American former professional basketball player. Kuberski won two NBA titles with the Boston Celtics, in 1974 and 1976 and had a nine-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career. Kuberski was the last Celtic to wear number 33 before Larry Bird.
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. Founded in 1946 as a charter member of the Basketball Association of America, the Celtics then moved into the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1949, as said league was formed by the merger of the BAA and the National Basketball League. Currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, the Celtics have the most NBA titles with 18 championships. Eleven of those occurred between 1957 and 1969, with a dynasty led by center Bill Russell and coach/general manager Red Auerbach. The Celtics won two more titles in the 1970s under coach Tom Heinsohn, and three more in the 1980s under the leadership of forward Larry Bird. After a 22-year drought, the Celtics got a title in 2008, and then another in 2024.
The 1963–64 NBA season was the Celtics' 18th season in the NBA. The Celtics finished the season by winning their seventh NBA Championship.
The 1976–77 Boston Celtics season was the 31st season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The 37th National Basketball Association All-Star Game was played on February 8, 1987, at Seattle's Kingdome. Seattle SuperSonics power forward Tom Chambers was the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP).
The 2010–11 Boston Celtics season was the 65th season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics were coming off of an NBA Finals loss to their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, in seven games.
The Celtics–Knicks rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. The Celtics and Knicks are two of only three remaining charter franchises from the Basketball Association of America, which began operations in 1946.
Jayson Christopher Tatum is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a McDonald's All-American in high school in Missouri and played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Tatum was selected by the Boston Celtics with the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft and was voted to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in the 2018 season. Tatum won the inaugural NBA Eastern Conference Finals MVP in 2022, and won his first title in the 2024 NBA Finals.