all-celtics team

Taylor Snow

In conjunction with their 75th anniversary, the Boston Celtics are unveiling their 75th Anniversary All-Celtics Team from Jan. 23 through Feb. 3.

The team is comprised of 15 players who were selected to the team based upon thousands of votes cast by fans and an official voting panel that included both media members and Celtics historians.

The members of the All-Celtics Team will be unveiled in three groups of five, and in no particular order. The first five were announced 23, the second five were announced Jan. 31, and the final five today.

Below, we’ve provided brief capsules of the first five players who were announced as members of the team: Ray Allen, Dave Cowens, Robert Parish, and JoJo White.

Ray Allen made his mark as one of the deadliest long-range scorers in NBA history and was the best 3-point shooter to ever put on a Celtics uniform. Boston acquired Allen in the summer of 2007 just before trading for Kevin Garnett to complete their transformation back into a championship contender. Allen would suit up as Boston’s starting shooting guard the following fall and helped to lead it to its 17th banner in the spring of 2008. He went on to play six seasons with the Celtics, three of which were All-Star campaigns. Allen logged the third-most 3-point makes (798) in Celtics history, the fourth-best 3-point percentage (40.9 percent), and is the only player in team history to post a career free-throw percentage above 90 percent (minimum 200 attempts), having owned a 91.4 percent clip. He retired as the league’s all-time leader in 3-point makes before being surpassed by Stephen Curry earlier this season.

Dave Cowens, at 6-foot-9, was considered to be an undersized center when the Celtics selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 1970 NBA Draft. However, he turned into one of the league’s biggest stars of that decade. Cowens was an eight-time All-Star, a three-time selection for both the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams, and a two-time NBA champion with the Celtics. He was also named the league’s MVP for the 1972-73 campaign when he averaged 20.5 points, 16.2 rebounds, and 4.1 rebounds per game. During 10 seasons in Boston, the Hall-of-Fame center averaged 18.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game and is one of three players to rank among the team’s top 10 in career points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks along with Larry Bird and Paul Pierce. He and Bird are also the only Celtics to have won both Rookie of the Year and an MVP. Cowens’ No. 18 was retired to the TD Garden rafters on Feb. 8, 1981.

Robert Parish is a Hall-of-Fame center who played 14 of his 21 NBA seasons with the Celtics from 1980-94. He was a part of the legendary trade that Red Auerbach pulled off on June 9, 1980, which brought Parish the No. 3 pick (eventually used to select fellow Hall-of-Famer Kevin McHale) over from Golden State Warriors in exchange for two first-rounders. The 7-foot-1 “Chief” won three championships in Boston, where he tallied averages of 16.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in 1,106 appearances (second all-time). Parish is the team’s official all-time leading shot-blocker with 1,703 swats and ranks second behind Bill Russell in rebounds with 11,051. Parish also ranks fourth on the franchise’s scoring list with 18,245 points and is fifth in field-goal percentage with a 55.2 percent clip. His No. 00 was retired by the Celtics on Jan. 18, 1998.

Bill Sharman was a Hall-of-Fame shooting guard who was a member of the first four Celtics championships. During his 10 seasons with the C’s, Sharman established himself as one of the best shooters of his era; he became one of the first guards to regularly shoot above 40 percent from the field and he led the league in free-throw percentage a record seven times, including five consecutive seasons. Sharman averaged 18.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game for Boston and ranks fifth on the franchise’s free-throw percentage list with a career mark of 88.3 percent. He is one of five people in NBA history to enter the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Sharman’s No. 21 was retired by the Celtics on Oct. 15, 1966 – the same day that Tommy Heinsohn had his No. 15 retired.

JoJo White was a seven-time All-Star, a two-time NBA champion, and the 1976 Finals MVP for the Celtics. The Hall-of-Fame guard spent his first 10 NBA seasons in Boston, where he averaged 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. White ranks 10th all-time on the Celtics scoring list with 13,188 points and is seventh all-time in assists with 3,686 dimes. At one point in his career, he played in 488 consecutive games, which remains a franchise record. White’s No. 10 was retired by the Celtics on April 9, 1982.

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Allen, Cowens, Parish, Sharman, White Chosen to All-Celtics Team

Marc D'Amico

In conjunction with their 75th anniversary, the Boston Celtics are unveiling their 75th Anniversary All-Celtics Team from Jan. 23 through Feb. 3.
The team is comprised of 15 players who were selected to the team based upon thousands of votes cast by fans and an official voting panel that included both media members and Celtics historians.

The members of the All-Celtics Team will be unveiled in three groups of five, and in no particular order. The first five were announced Jan. 23, the second five were announced today, and the final five will be announced on a special live broadcast Thursday evening from the Encore Boston Harbor.

Below, we’ve provided brief capsules of the five players who were announced as members of the team today: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Tommy Heinsohn, John Havlicek and Paul Pierce.

There is no list of all-time Celtics greats if it doesn’t start with Bill Russell. Russell, who has in recent times been referred to as Lord of the Rings, won an astounding 11 championships with the Celtics as a player, including two for which he also served as the team’s coach. Russell played all 13 of his NBA seasons with Boston, during which he averaged 15.1 points and an incredible 22.5 rebounds per game. He totaled 21,620 rebounds during his career – nearly double the amount of the next-best player total in Celtics history. The NBA did not track steals and blocked shots during his playing days, otherwise he’d certainly have racked up impressive numbers in those two categories as well, as Russell is regarded as one of the great defensive centers of all time. Russell was chosen as the league’s Most Valuable Player five times. He was also selected to 12 All-Star appearances and 11 All-NBA teams during his 13 seasons. Russell was also known for his public push for racial equality and justice, and his constant support of mentor-mentee relationships. All of these facts are reasons why his No. 6 hangs in Boston’s rafters, and why the city of Boston erected a statue in his honor that now sits at Government Center.

Bob Cousy was a man before his time when it came to handling and passing the basketball. He was a magician with the ball, which is why Boston fans loved him dating back to his days as a collegiate star at the local College of the Holy Cross, and why he was rightfully nicknamed “Houdini of the Hardwood.” Cousy won six championships with Boston and was chosen as an All-Star during each of his 13 seasons with the team, including an appearance in the NBA’s very first All-Star game which was held at Boston Garden in 1951. He led the NBA in assists in eight consecutive seasons from 1953-1960. Cousy was the NBA’s 1957 MVP and was chosen to 12 All-NBA teams. The NBA also selected him to the league’s 25th, 35th, 50th, and 75th anniversary teams. It’s no wonder why his No. 14 is retired by the Celtics.

There is one person who has, in one way, shape or form, been involved in each of Boston’s 17 World Championships. That man is Tommy Heinsohn. Heinsohn is a two-time Hall of Famer as a player and a coach and is likely to become a three-time Hall of Famer following a lengthy and entertaining broadcast career as the Celtics’ color commentator. He won eight championships with Boston as a player and two as a coach, and he was a member of the organization in some capacity for the other seven titles. Heinsohn was a six-time All-Star with the Celtics and earned the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award in 1957. He remains as the only player who has ever won the Rookie of the Year award, been named to an All-Star team, and won a championship all in the same season (1957). Heinsohn averaged 18.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game during his career and his No. 15 is retired by the franchise.

Of all of the great names who have donned a Celtics uniform, no player has ever scored more points in the green and white than John “Hondo” Havlicek. Havlicek totaled 26,395 points during his career, which leads Boston’s record books and also ranks 17th in league history. He was a 13-time All-Star who won eight championships with the team from the early 1960s through the late 1970s. He played all 16 of his seasons with Boston and took home the 1974 Finals MVP award. The numbers Havlicek tallied across the board are remarkable: 26,395 points, 8,007 rebounds, 6,114 assists, 46,471 minutes played and 1,270 games played. Havlicek’s No. 17 is retired by the team and he was chosen to the NBA’s 35th, 50th and 75th anniversary teams.

Paul Pierce is the Celtics legend with whom 80s and 90s babies in New England grew up. He was drafted by the team 10th overall in 1998 and played his first 15 seasons with the franchise while making it a point to show the nine teams that passed on him on draft night that they made a mistake. Pierce went on to play in 10 All-Star games as a member of the Celtics and led the franchise to its 17th championship in 2008 while earning Finals MVP honors. He was a four-time All-NBA selection and is one of three players in franchise history to rank in the top 10 in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, along with Larry Bird and Dave Cowens. His 24,021 points in a Celtics uniform ranks second behind only John Havlicek. Pierce is the most recent player to have his number retired by the franchise, as his No. 34 was raised to the rafters Feb. 11, 2018. Pierce was chosen by the NBA as a member of the 75th anniversary team.

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Russell, Cousy, Heinsohn, Havlicek, Pierce Chosen to All-Celtics Team

The members of the All-Celtics Team will be unveiled in three groups of five, and in no particular order. The first five were announced today, the second five will be announced Jan. 31, and the final five will be announced on a special live broadcast the evening of Feb. 3.

Below, we’ve provided brief capsules of the first five players who were announced as members of the team: Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett, Dennis Johnson, Sam Jones and Kevin McHale.

Poll Celtics Nation to find out who the top Celtic of all-time is and you’ll find many votes cast for Larry Bird. Bird, whose No. 33 is retired by the Celtics, earned the nickname “Larry Legend” through his magical play that led to 12 All-Star selections, three league MVPs, three NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards. Bird finished his career with averages of 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game and often mystified opponents with his no-look passes and impossible shots. He is regarded as one of the greatest shooters of all time, having finished with career shooting percentages of 49.6 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from 3-point range and 88.6 percent from the free-throw line. Bird spent his entire career with Boston, and despite a back injury cutting his career short, he still ranks in the top five of every major statistical category in Celtics history.

Kevin Garnett didn’t spend a long time in Boston, but his presence in the city will be remembered forever. Hence his selection to this team despite playing only six seasons for the Celtics. Garnett served as a culture-changer and a defensive ace for the 2007-08 championship Celtics, who logged 66 regular-season wins. He was chosen as that season’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year and made the All-Star team five times during his six seasons with the team. He was a numbers machine for the franchise, as he ranks seventh in team history in defensive rebounds (2,786), eighth in blocks (394), 10th in field-goal percentage (52.0 percent) and second in defensive rebounding percentage (26.2 percent) despite playing in a total of only 396 regular-season games. His energy and passion were infectious, not only fueling his teammates, but also the TD Garden, which he often referred to as “The Jungle.” Decades from now, young Celtics fans should understand that Garnett’s impact was not only from a statistical standpoint. He changed Boston’s culture with his passion, accountability and leadership, and that culture continued on for years after his departure from the franchise. Garnett’s No. 5 is set to be retired by the Celtics on March 13, 2022.

Similar to Kevin Garnett, Johnson’s time with the Celtics was not all too lengthy, but his impact was significant. Johnson played seven seasons for Boston and, like Garnett, also earned the right to have his No. 3 retired by the franchise. Johnson is also a Hall of Famer. The defensive-minded point guard averaged 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game during his seven seasons with the C’s and was one of the key reasons why Boston was able to win the NBA championship in 1984 and 1986. Johnson was so impactful that Larry Bird once called him the best player he ever played with. That’s saying a lot, considering that Bird also teamed up with other Hall of Famers in Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. Johnson was known for his staunch defense, his floor-general abilities, and for draining clutch shots when games were on the line.

Sam Jones is known as one of most clutch players in the history of the game. Need evidence to support that claim? Just Google the endless comments his former teammates have made about his prowess of coming through in the clutch. Jones was a prolific scorer throughout his 12-year career, all of which was spent in a Celtics uniform. He averaged 17.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game during his career, including a stretch of four consecutive seasons of averaging at least 21.3 PPG. Jones maxed out with an average of 25.9 PPG during the 1964-65 season, which was one of 10 Celtics championship seasons which Jones participated in, and also, one of his five All-Star seasons. Jones and teammate Bill Russell are the only players in NBA history who have won 10 or more championships. Jones had his No. 24 jersey raised to the rafters on March 9, 1969, two months before capturing his final title with the C’s.

There are few players of Kevin McHale’s stature who spent their entire career in one uniform. McHale, who played all 13 of his NBA seasons in a Celtics uniform, was a seven-time All-Star, including a stretch of six straight selections from 1986 to 1991. He also won back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year awards in 1984 and 1985. His combination of elite post scoring and impressive defense helped to fuel the Celtics to three championships during the 1980s. His average of 1.7 blocks per game for his career still stands as the top mark among Celtics players who qualify for franchise-leader statistics. He logged five straight seasons with a scoring average of at least 20.9 PPG, maxing out with an average of 26.1 PPG during the championship 1987 season. His No. 32 is retired by the Celtics and hangs in the rafters at TD Garden.

all‑celtics team

Allen, Cowens, Parish, Sharman, White Chosen to All-Celtics Team

Russell, Cousy, Heinsohn, Havlicek, Pierce Chosen to All-Celtics Team

Bird, Garnett, McHale, Jones, Johnson Chosen to All-Celtics Team