Walter Brown, president of the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation, founded the Boston Celtics franchise as a member of the Basketball Association of America. The team played the majority of its home games at the famed Boston Garden and a handful at Boston Arena in the opening 1946-47 season.
The Basketball Association of America merged with the National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). Boston was one of 17 teams to join the new NBA. Today, only the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors (originally Philadelphia Warriors) are founding NBA franchises still in existence.
Chuck Cooper became the first African American player drafted in NBA history when the Celtics selected him with the 14th overall pick in the second round of the 1950 NBA Draft. The Duquesne University forward spent four seasons in Boston.
Red Auerbach became Head Coach of the Boston Celtics. The former Coach of the Washington Capitols and Tri-Cities Blackhawks transformed the Celtics into a dynastic powerhouse over his 16 seasons at the coaching helm.
Boston made the tough decision to trade future Hall-of-Famers Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan to the St. Louis Hawks for the rights to rookie center Bill Russell. The move paid off as Russell led the Celtics to 11 NBA world championship titles in 13 seasons.
Bob Cousy won NBA Most Valuable Player and Tommy Heinsohn won NBA Rookie of the Year, the first players in franchise history to earn each major award. Other Celtics to win NBA MVP include Bill Russell (1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965), Dave Cowens (1973) and Larry Bird (1984, 1985, 1986). Other Celtics to win NBA ROY include Dave Cowens (1971) and Larry Bird (1980).
The Celtics defeated the St. Louis Hawks in seven games to win the first NBA world championship title in franchise history. Boston’s high-powered offense featured Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, Frank Ramsey, Jim Loscutoff and others who would win multiple titles with the Celtics.
The Celtics swept the Minneapolis Lakers in four games to win the second NBA world championship title in franchise history. Boston became the first team in NBA history to sweep an opponent in the NBA Finals. It was the first of 10 titles for Sam Jones and the first of eight titles as a player for K.C. Jones.
The Celtics defeated the St. Louis Hawks in seven games to win the third NBA world championship title in franchise history.
The Celtics defeated the St. Louis Hawks in five games to win the fourth NBA world championship title in franchise history. It was the first of eight titles for Satch Sanders.
The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games to win the fifth NBA world championship title in franchise history. The matchup was the first in the storied NBA Finals history between the Boston and Los Angeles teams.
The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to win the sixth NBA world championship title in franchise history. It was the first of eight titles for John Havlicek.
The Celtics retired Bob Cousy’s no. 14 and Ed Macauley’s no. 22, the first retired numbers in franchise history. Today, the iconic green and white-squared banners honor 23 Celtics players, coaches and other legends.
The Celtics defeated the San Francisco Warriors in five games to win the seventh NBA world championship title in franchise history. The Bill Russell-Wilt Chamberlain rivalry finally made it to the NBA’s biggest stage.
In a contest against the St. Louis Hawks, the Celtics started Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Satch Sanders, Bill Russell and Willie Naulls for the first-ever all-Black starting lineup in NBA history. Naulls joined Boston’s four regular starters while filling in for the injured Tommy Heinsohn.
John Havlicek made one of the most memorable plays in NBA history during Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals. Boston narrowly led the Philadelphia 76ers, 110-109, with the Sixers set to inbound the ball with five seconds on the clock. Havlicek tipped the pass to teammate Sam Jones, effectively ending the game. The moment was immortalized by Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most’s exuberant call of the play.
The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games to win the eighth NBA world championship title in franchise history. That season, Red Auerbach also won the NBA Coach of the Year Award.
The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games to win the ninth NBA world championship title in franchise history. The victory marked an NBA record eight straight titles by one franchise.
Bill Russell accepted the position of player-coach, becoming the first African American Coach in NBA history. Red Auerbach remained with the Celtics as the team’s general manager.
The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to win the 10th NBA world championship title in franchise history.
The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games to win the 11th NBA world championship title in franchise history. It was also Bill Russell’s 11th title as a player and player-coach, the most ever in NBA history.
The Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games to win the 12th NBA world championship title in franchise history. It was the first of two championships for Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White, and the first championship for Tommy Heinsohn as Head Coach.
The Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns in six games to win the 13th NBA world championship title in franchise history. The Game 5 triple-overtime victory at Boston Garden is widely hailed as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
The Celtics selected draft-eligible junior Larry Bird with the no. 6 pick of the 1978 NBA Draft. The Indiana State phenom chose to play college ball in his senior year before joining the Celtics in the 1979-80 season. Bird proved he was worth the wait: Boston improved from 29 wins pre-Bird to 61 wins in his rookie campaign.
The Celtics traded for Robert Parish and the no. 3 pick of the 1980 NBA Draft – which was used on Kevin McHale – from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the nos. 1 and 13 picks. Considered one of the greatest trades in NBA history, Parish and McHale teamed with Larry Bird to form Boston’s original Big Three.
The Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets in six games to win the 14th NBA world championship title in franchise history. It was the first of three championships for Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, and the first of two championships for Cedric Maxwell. Maxwell was also named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games to win the 15th NBA world championship title in franchise history. It was the first championship for K.C. Jones as Head Coach.
The Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets in six games to win the 16th NBA world championship title in franchise history. It would be the final championship won at Boston Garden.
After 48 seasons as the team’s home, the Celtics played their final game at the historic Boston Garden. The Garden, built in 1928 as a boxing and sporting venue, was known for its up-close seating and iconic parquet basketball court. The Celtics played in the new Fleet Center (later TD Garden) starting in the 1995-96 season.
The Celtics selected Paul Pierce with the no. 10 overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft. Pierce emerged as a franchise leader and helped Boston return to the playoffs as regular contenders throughout the 2000s.
The Celtics faced a 21-point, fourth-quarter deficit in Game 3 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals. Backed by Paul Pierce, who scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, Boston pulled off an incredible comeback victory to stun the New Jersey Nets, 94-90. It was one of many iconic playoff moments in Pierce’s career.
The Celtics named Doc Rivers as the 16th Head Coach in franchise history. Over nine seasons in Boston, Rivers led the team to one NBA world championship title, two Eastern Conference championships and seven postseason appearances. His 721 games coached remains second in franchise history, while his 416 wins is third most.
The Celtics traded for superstar Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for five players and two future draft picks. Along with sharp shooter Ray Allen, whom Boston acquired in a draft-day trade with the Seattle SuperSonics, and established team veteran Paul Pierce, the Celtics had formed a powerful new Big Three.
The Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games to win the 17th NBA world championship title in franchise history, ending a 22-year title drought. It was the first championship for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. Boston became the first franchise in NBA history to reach 17 titles.
Savvy Butler University Coach Brad Stevens took over as Head Coach of the Celtics. Under his tenure, star players such as Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, Isaiah Thomas, Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving kept Boston consistently in the playoff race. In 2021, Stevens became the franchise’s President of Basketball Operations.
Jayson Tatum dropped 60 points in a 143-140 overtime victory against the San Antonio Spurs, tying Larry Bird’s franchise record for most points scored in one game.
