Drafted by the Celtics with the No. 3 overall pick of the 1980 NBA Draft (via a trade that also landed Robert Parish), McHale joined forces with Larry Bird to form what would become one of the best frontlines in NBA history.
McHale made his mark off the bench for Boston, earning back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year awards from 1983-85. Always a solid post defender, his key block in Game 6 of The 1981 Finals helped Boston secure the NBA title. That was just the beginning of a dominant Boston run that featured three championships and four NBA Finals appearances from 1981-86.
McHale’s best basketball was unleashed during the 1986-87 season when he averaged 26.1 points on an NBA-best 60.4 percent shooting from the field. From 1985-91, McHale was named to six All-Star teams, five All-Defensive teams and the All-NBA First Team in 1987.
McHale retired in 1993 after Boston was eliminated by the Charlotte Hornets during the first round of the playoffs and his No. 32 was retired by the team in 1994. After his playing career, McHale joined the Timberwolves’ front office to serve as Vice President of Basketball Operations from 1995-2008, at which point he transitioned to coach. He coached the Timberwolves for 31 games during the 2004-05 season and 63 during 2008-09. He then coached the Rockets from 2011-16, posting a record of 193-130 in 323 games.
McHale joined the Turner family during the 2009-10 season, and returned in 2016 after his coaching stint with Houston.
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