The Boston Celtics are one of the bedrock franchises in professional sports. Legends such as Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Tommy Heinsohn, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett dazzled fans with their athletic exploits and won the NBA championship in Boston.
A couple of hours down the Mass Pike in Springfield, no fewer than four dozen players, coaches, and contributors with ties to the Celtics franchise have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame over the years, spanning the decades from the first years of the storied ball club’s existence up to the team’s last era of contention.
Buy Celtics TicketsBelow, Celtics Wire celebrates the 49 members of the Hall of Fame with Celtics connections in a photo gallery.
Damon and Mark Wahlberg, sitting courtside with floor seats, were enthusiastically cheering for the Celtics when Jackson lost his cool and shouted at them https://t.co/eASRHKFXMU
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Ed Macauley
Ed Macauley
Induction year: 1960
Celtics credentials: Macauley played six of his 10 NBA seasons with the Celtics, and he earned All-Star status each of those six seasons with Boston. He led the league in field-goal percentage twice with the Celtics.
Walter Brown
Walter Brown (pictured sitting with Bill Russell as Russell signs his Celtics contract in 1956; standing is Celtics co-owner Lou Pieri.)
Induction year: 1965 (as a contributor)
Celtics credentials: Brown was the founder and first owner of the Celtics. He also was a key figure in the formation of the Basketball Association of America in 1946 and its merger with the rival National Basketball League in 1949, which begat the NBA. Brown originated the NBA All-Star Game in 1951 at Boston Garden, and the Celtics won their first seven championships in the eight seasons before Brown’s death on Sept. 7, 1964.
Red Auerbach
Red Auerbach
Induction year: 1969 (as a coach)
Celtics credentials: One of the key figures in NBA history, Auerbach coached the Celtics to nine league championships and helped the franchise win seven more titles in an executive role.
Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy
Induction year: 1971
Celtics credentials: Cousy, known as the Houdini of the Hardwood for his outstanding handle, earned All-Star status in all 13 of his seasons with the Celtics. He also led the NBA in assists in eight consecutive seasons from 1952-53 through 1959-60.
Bill Russell
Bill Russell
Induction year: 1975 (as a player), 2021 (as a coach)
Celtics credentials: The greatest champion in NBA history, Russell was a cornerstone player on 11 championship teams. He also served as Boston’s coach during the last two of those title seasons. Russell was a 12-time All-Star and led the league in rebounding four times.
Bill Sharman
Bill Sharman
Induction year: 1976 (as a player), 2004 (as a coach)
Celtics credentials: Sharman received All-Star recognition in eight of his 10 seasons with the Celtics and led the NBA in free-throw percentage seven times.
Frank Ramsey
Frank Ramsey
Induction year: 1982
Celtics credentials: Ramsey helped the Celtics win seven NBA championships in nine seasons as a player. He averaged double figures in all but the final season of his career.
Sam Jones
Sam Jones
Induction year: 1984
Celtics credentials: Only Bill Russell has won more NBA championships as a player than Jones, who helped the Celtics to 10 titles. Jones was named to the All-Star team five times and averaged 17.7 points per game over his 13-year career.
John Havlicek
John Havlicek
Induction year: 1984
Celtics credentials: Havlicek was a key component of the Celtics’ storied championship teams of the 1960s and the retooled title teams of the 1970s. He won eight NBA titles, was named to 13 consecutive All-Star teams and earned eight All-Defensive Team nods.
Tommy Heinsohn
Tommy Heinsohn
Induction year: 1986 (as a player), 2015 (as a coach)
Celtics credentials: Heinsohn was a Celtic through and through, starring for the team as a player, coach, and broadcaster for half a century. He won six NBA titles as a player and was named to six All-Star teams. Heinsohn then guided the Celtics to NBA championships in 1974 and 1976 during a nine-season stint as head coach.
Bob Houbregs
Bob Houbregs (pictured as a University of Washington player with Huskies coach Tippy Dye in 1953)
Induction year: 1987
Celtics credentials: Houbregs played only one game as a Celtic, coming aboard in the dispersal draft when the original Baltimore Bullets folded in 1954. Ten days later, he was waived, having scored one point in a Boston uniform. Houbregs also played for the Hawks and Pistons during his five-year NBA career.
Pete Maravich
Pete Maravich
Induction year: 1987
Celtics credentials: One of the most dazzling playmakers in basketball history, Maravich seemed to score and distribute effortlessly. A five-time All-Star with the Hawks and Jazz, he wrapped up his NBA career with the Celtics in 1979-80.
Clyde Lovellette
Clyde Lovellette
Induction year: 1988
Celtics credentials: A four-time All-Star with the Minneapolis Lakers and St. Louis Hawks, Lovellette concluded his career with two seasons as a Celtic. He averaged 6.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 106 games for Boston.
K.C. Jones
K.C. Jones
Induction year: 1989
Celtics credentials: Jones was a clutch role player for eight Celtics championship teams, averaging 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game in nine pro seasons. He later guided the Celtics to championships in 1984 and 1986 as head coach.
Nate "Tiny" Archibald
Nate Archibald
Induction year: 1991
Celtics credentials: Archibald played six seasons with the Celtics, earning three All-Star selections and contributing to the 1981 championship team. Previously, he led the NBA in scoring and assists in 1972-73 with the Kings to earn the first of his three All-Star nods with that franchise.
Dave Cowens
Dave Cowens:
Induction year: 1991
Celtics credentials: Cowens earned eight All-Star selections in 10 seasons with the Celtics and was a key member of Boston’s 1974 and 1976 championship teams. He averaged 18.2 points and 14.0 rebounds per game with the Celtics.
Bill Walton
Bill Walton
Induction year: 1993
Celtics credentials: One of the most skilled big men in basketball history, Walton joined the Celtics as a role player for the final two seasons of his pro career. He provided a spark off the bench to help the 1986 Celtics win the NBA championship. Walton averaged 7.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 90 games for Boston.
Bailey Howell
Bailey Howell
Induction year: 1997
Celtics credentials: Howell played four of his 12 NBA seasons with the Celtics, averaging 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds with Boston. He earned one of his six All-Star selections for the Celtics and was a member of Boston’s championship teams in 1968 and 1969.
Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Induction year: 1998
Celtics credentials: One of the great Celtics of all time, Bird was a workhorse who powered Boston to three NBA championships. He earned All-Star status in all but one of his 13 pro seasons — the only exception being 1988-89, when he was limited to six games because of injury. A deadly shooter and trash-talker, Bird averaged 24.3 points and 10.0 rebounds in 897 career games.
Arnie Risen
Arnie Risen
Induction year: 1998
Celtics credentials: Although Risen enjoyed his greatest professional success as a member of the Rochester Royals, he concluded his career with three seasons as a Celtic. He was a member of Boston’s first NBA championship team in 1957, and he averaged 7.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 174 games with the Celtics.
Kevin McHale
Kevin McHale
Induction year: 1999
Celtics credentials: McHale was a standout on both ends of the floor and a key cog on the Celtics’ three championship squads of the 1980s. He earned seven All-Star selections and was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team six times. McHale averaged 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds during his 13-season pro career, spent entirely with Boston.
John Thompson
Induction year: 1999 (as a coach)
Celtics credentials: Thompson, the legendary Georgetown University head coach, spent two seasons with the Celtics as a player in the 1960s. He averaged 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 74 games and helped the Celtics win NBA championships in 1965 and 1966.
Wayne Embry
Wayne Embry
Induction year: 1999 (as contributor)
Celtics credentials: Although Embry earned his Hall of Fame enshrinement for his career as an executive with the Bucks, Cavaliers, and Raptors, he spent two of his 11 NBA seasons as a player with Boston. He averaged 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in 150 games for the Celtics and was a member of the 1968 championship teams.
Bob McAdoo
Bob McAdoo
Induction year: 2000
Celtics credentials: McAdoo was a three-time NBA scoring champion and five-time All-Star with the Buffalo Braves and New York Knicks, but he also spent 20 games with the Celtics during the 1978-79 season. He averaged 20.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game with Boston but was traded to Detroit prior to the following season.
Robert Parish
Robert Parish
Induction year: 2003
Celtics credentials: Parish, nicknamed the Chief, was the stoic pillar in the post for the Celtics’ championship teams of the 1980s. He was named an All-Star nine times in 14 seasons with Boston, averaging 16.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Parish, who also played for Golden State, Charlotte, and Chicago, still holds the NBA record with 1,611 regular-season games played.
Dave Gavitt
Dave Gavitt
Induction year: 2006
Celtics credentials: Gavitt served as a Celtics executive in charge of basketball operations from 1990-94. Previously, he was the longtime head coach at Providence College and the driving force behind the formation of the Big East Conference. He also was a key figure in the agreement between USA Basketball and the NBA that paved the way for the 1992 Olympic Dream Team.
Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins
Induction year: 2006
Celtics credentials: Although Wilkins is best remembered for his high-flying days with the Atlanta Hawks, he spent one season with Boston in 1994-95. Although he turned 35 that season, he averaged 17.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in the Celtics’ final season at Boston Garden.
Dennis Johnson
Dennis Johnson
Induction year: 2010
Celtics credentials: One of the great defensive guards in basketball history, Johnson bolstered the Celtics’ backcourt upon arrival via a trade with the Phoenix Suns in 1983. He spent the final seven seasons of his playing career with Boston, averaging 12.6 points and 6.4 assists and winning two championships in the process.
Tom "Satch" Sanders
Tom Sanders
Induction year: 2011 (as a contributor)
Celtics credentials: Sanders was a member of eight NBA championship teams in 13 seasons as a player with the Celtics. He averaged 9.6 points and 6.3 assists per game over the course of his career but was best known as a lockdown defender. He later served as a Celtics assistant and head coach of the team in the late 1970s.
Artis Gilmore
Artis Gilmore
Induction year: 2011
Celtics credentials: Gilmore played the last of his 17 ABA/NBA seasons with the Celtics in 1987-88, averaging 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 47 games. Prior to Boston, Gilmore was a five-time ABA All-Star with the Kentucky Colonels and a six-time NBA All-Star with Chicago and San Antonio.
Don Nelson
Don Nelson
Induction year: 2012 (as coach)
Celtics credentials: Nelson spent 11 of his 14 seasons as an NBA player with Boston, averaging 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Celtics. He was a part of five championship teams as a Boston player. Of course, it was Nellie’s coaching acumen that earned his enshrinement in Springfield. He compiled a 1,335-1,063 record in 31 seasons with Milwaukee, Golden State, New York and Dallas.
Don Barksdale
Don Barksdale
Induction year: 2012 (as contributor)
Celtics credentials: Barksdale played two seasons with the Celtics in the mid-1950s, averaging 9.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in 135 games. A basketball trailblazer, Barksdale was the first Black player to compete on the U.S. Olympic basketball team when the team won gold in 1948. He became the first Black player to appear in the NBA All-Star Game in 1953.
Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino
Induction year: 2013
Celtics credentials: Pitino was president and head coach of the Celtics from the 1997-98 season to 2000-01, compiling a 102-146 record. He coached Providence College to the Final Four and won national championships at Kentucky and Louisville, although the latter of those bears an asterisk from the NCAA.
Gary Payton
Gary Payton
Induction year: 2013
Celtics credentials: One of the most gifted defenders and trash-talkers in NBA history, Payton played one season in Boston toward the end of his brilliant 17-year career. He averaged 11.3 points and 6.1 assists in 77 games with the Celtics. Overall, Payton was a nine-time All-NBA selection and was named to the All-Defensive team nine times.
Jo Jo White
Jo Jo White
Induction year: 2015
Celtics credentials: White earned seven All-Star selections and won two NBA championships in 10 seasons with the Celtics, averaging 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He finished his career with two seasons in Golden State and a final year with the Kansas City Kings.
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O’Neal
Induction year: 2016
Celtics credentials: O’Neal played the final season of his 19-year pro career with the Celtics, averaging 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 37 games during the 2010-11 season. Prior to that, Shaq was a 15-time All-Star with the Magic, Lakers, Heat, and Suns. He also spent one season with the Cavaliers. O’Neal won four NBA championships — three with the Lakers and one with Miami.
Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Induction year: 2018
Celtics credentials: Allen was part of the Big Three, along with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, that powered the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship. In five seasons with Boston, Allen averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He earned All-Star status three times with the Celtics and 10 times total in his career.
Charlie Scott
Charlie Scott
Induction year: 2018
Celtics credentials: Scott arrived with the Celtics in a trade that sent Paul Westphal to Phoenix in 1975, and he helped Boston win the NBA championship the ensuing season. Scott played 2½ seasons with the Celtics, averaging 17.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 156 regular-season games. He was a three-time All-Star with the Suns.
Dino Radja
Dino Radja
Induction year: 2018
Celtics credentials: Radja played four seasons with the Celtics, from 1993-94 through 1996-97, averaging 16.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Prior to his Celtics tenure, Radja won two Olympic silver medals (Yugoslavia in 1988, Croatia in 1992) and three EuroLeague championships with Croatian club Jugoplastika.
Bill Fitch
Bill Fitch
Induction year: 2019 (as a coach)
Celtics credentials: Fitch coached the Celtics for the first four years of Larry Bird’s career, piloting Boston to the 1981 NBA championship over Houston. Five years later, he coached the Rockets to the NBA Finals, where they fell to the Celtics in six games. As Boston’s head coach, Fitch compiled a 242-86 record in the regular season and 26-19 in the postseason. Overall, Fitch’s career record as an NBA head coach was 944-1,106 in 25 seasons with the Cavaliers, Celtics, Rockets, Nets, and Clippers (55-54 in the postseason).
Paul Westphal
Paul Westphal
Induction year: 2019
Celtics credentials: Westphal played the first three seasons of his NBA career with the Celtics, including the 1974 championship season, averaging 7.3 points and 2.1 assists as a role player. He was traded to Phoenix in a deal for Charlie Scott in 1975 and powered the Suns to the 1976 NBA Finals, where they fell to the Celtics in six games. Westphal was named to five All-Star teams with the Suns and Seattle SuperSonics.
Chuck Cooper
Chuck Cooper
Induction year: 2019
Celtics credentials: Cooper became the first Black player selected in the NBA draft when the Celtics identified him in the second round in 1950. He broke the NBA’s color barrier that season, along with Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton of the Knicks and Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitols. Cooper played four seasons for the Celtics, averaging 6.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, before finishing his career with the Hawks and Pistons.
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett
Induction year: 2020
Celtics credentials: Garnett famously teamed with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to lift the Celtics to their most recent NBA championship in 2008. Garnett played six seasons with Boston, averaging 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 396 regular-season games. He earned All-Star status in five of those seasons, to go with 10 such prior selections as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce
Induction year: 2021
Celtics credentials: The No. 10 overall pick in the 1998 draft, Pierce played 15 seasons for the Celtics and was named NBA Finals MVP when Boston defeated the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2008 championship. Pierce ranks second in Celtics history in points scored, third in games played, and seventh in rebounds.
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• Andy Phillip (inducted as college player in 1961): Phillip played the final two seasons of his 11-year pro career with the Celtics, helping Boston win its first NBA title in 1957. He starred in college at Illinois, leading his team to two Big Ten championships.
• John “Honey” Russell (inducted in 1964): Russell was the first head coach of the Celtics, compiling a 42-66 record in two seasons. Previously, he played for nearly 30 years on numerous professional teams in the Northeast, often serving as player-coach.
• Bill Mokray (inducted as a contributor in 1965): Mokray was public relations director of the Celtics in the early years of the franchise. He also influenced the sport as a noted historian and statistician.
• Alvin “Doggie” Julian (inducted as a coach in 1967): Julian was the second head coach in Celtics history, compiling a 47-81 record in two seasons between the tenures of Honey Russell and Red Auerbach. Previously, he coached Holy Cross to the 1947 national championship with Bob Cousy as his star player.
• Dave Bing (inducted in 1990): The longtime Detroit Pistons star wrapped up his playing career with the Celtics in 1977-78, averaging 13.6 points and 3.8 assists per game.
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