Born in San Francisco in 1930, Jim Loscutoff attended Grant Technical College near Sacramento, California from 1948 to 1950 before attending the University of Oregon off and on from 1950 to ‘55, making First Team All-Conference in his last year. He was drafted third overall by the Boston Celtics relatively late at age of 25.
The Celtics wanted to bolster their weak defense as a compliment to their already strong offense. Loscutoff set a then-team record of 26 rebounds in a single game during his rookie season. Their defense was further strengthened when they drafted future Hall of Fame center Bill Russell the following year.
The team won their first NBA Championship in 1957 against the St. Louis Hawks. Although Loscutoff wasn’t known for putting a lot of points on the board, he scored the winning free throws in double overtime in the deciding game. Loscy would win six more rings in Boston, first in 1959 against the Minneapolis Lakers, in ‘60 and ‘61 against the Hawks, in ‘62 and ‘63 against the now Los Angeles Lakers, and in ‘64 against the San Francisco Warriors. The Celtics made the finals in 1958 as well, but lost to the Hawks.
The team wished to retire Loscutoff’s number “18” after his retirement in 1964, but he asked that it be kept in circulation so it could be worn by a future Celtic. Instead, the team raised a banner bearing his nickname of “Loscy” to the rafters, and in 1970, a rookie center named Dave Cowens began wearing number “18.”
Loscutoff currently sits at number 42 all time among Celtics players in points, and his career highs include 10.6 points and 10.4 rebounds in 1956-57, despite playing less than 32 minutes per game. He scored a career high 26 points in a November 1956 win against the Minneapolis Lakers. Jim Loscutoff died in December of 2015 from complications of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 85.
#15 Tom Heinsohn, “Tommy the Hawk,” Forward & Coach, 1956-1965, 1969-1978
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1934, Tom Heinsohn was a star at Bob Cousy’s Alma Mater, the College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1953 to ‘56. He set school records in total points with 1,789, and points in a single game with 51. He was also First Team All-American in 1956 and Second Team in ‘55, and his number “24” was retired by the school. As he played at a New England college, the Celtics were able to draft Heinsohn as a territorial pick, and he joined the Celtics the same year as Bill Russell and was also selected in the same draft as K. C. Jones, whose pro career began in 1958.
Heinsohn started off with a bang; he won Rookie of the Year, made the All Star team, and helped the Celtics win their first NBA Championship against the St. Louis Hawks. Heinsohn has the remarkable distinction of playing in the finals in all nine years of his career, with the Celtics beating the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, the Hawks again in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64 and the Lakers once more in ‘65. They also made the 1958 Finals, but lost to the Hawks. Only his teammates, Bill Russell and Sam Jones, have won more rings.
Along with his team’s many accomplishments, Heinsohn made All-NBA Second Team every year from 1961 to ‘64 and was an All-Star six times; first in 1957, then five straight years from 1961 to ‘65. Heinsohn also served as president of the NBA Players Association from 1958 to ‘65, following his teammate and the Association’s founder, Bob Cousy, and helped bring free agency to the league by threatening to strike shortly before the 1964 All-Star Game. He retired after the 1964-65 season after a relatively brief but impactful career, an eight time champion in nine seasons. Despite only playing 654 games, Heinsohn currently sits at ninth all time among Celtics players in rebounds and twelfth in points. His career highs include 22.1 points per game in 1961-62 and 10.6 rebounds per game in ‘59-60. He scored a career high 45 points in a win against the Syracuse Nationals on Christmas Day, 1961. His number 15 was retired by the Celtics in 1965, but his time in Boston was far from over.
He became head coach of the Celtics in 1969 until part way through the ‘77-78 season. The team initially struggled during Heinsohn’s tenure, as many of the greats of the ‘50s and ‘60s had retired. By 1971-72 however, they were back on track thanks to young stars like Jo Jo White and Dave Cowens, and the continued excellent play of veteran John Havlicek. In ‘72-73, the Celtics had their best ever regular season, winning 68 games and losing just 14, although they lost to the eventual champion New York Knicks in the Conference Finals. Heinsohn was awarded Coach of the Year for his efforts. The following season, the Celtics won their first championship in five years against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games. Boston won yet another title in ‘76 against the Phoenix Suns. Heinsohn was released by the Celtics 34 games into the ‘77-78 season, Boston’s first losing year since ‘70-71.
In nine seasons as head coach, he was selected to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star Team four times (1972, ‘73, ‘74, and ‘76). Both before and after his coaching career, Tommy has been a Boston Celtics broadcaster who worked for CBS in the 1980s, and still does color commentary for NBC Sports Boston. He began calling games in 1966 at the behest of Red Auerbach, and since 1981, he and Mike Gorman have called Celtics television broadcasts. Tom Heinsohn is one of the few people who can say he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame twice; as a player in 1986 and as a coach in 2015. At the age of 84, after over sixty years, Tommy continues to be a Celtics institution.
Born in Monroe, Louisiana in 1934, Bill Russell was raised in Oakland, California, and attended the University of San Francisco from 1953 to 1956. He was a star in college, winning back to back NCAA Championships alongside future Celtics teammate K. C. Jones in 1955 and ‘56 and receiving numerous accolades, including Tournament MVP in 1955 and being named First Team All-American in ‘55 and ‘56. Also in 1956, he was named Conference Player of the Year, and his number “6” was retired by the school.
He was selected second overall in the 1956 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks, but was traded to the Boston Celtics for center Ed Macauley. In that same draft, the Celtics acquired future Hall of Famers K. C. Jones and Tom Heinsohn. Before his pro career began, Russell and Team USA won Gold at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, again playing alongside K. C. Jones.
In his first NBA season, Russell and the Celtics won their first Championship against his would-be team, the St. Louis Hawks. With that first title, he became one of the only seven basketball players to date to win an NCAA Championship, an Olympic Gold Medal and an NBA Championship. K.C. Jones would join that club in 1959.
The Celtics went on to win a record eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. Boston beat the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, the Hawks again in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64 and the Lakers again in ‘65 and ‘66. The Celtics won two more against LA in 1968 and ‘69. Russell retired with an astronomical eleven championships under his belt, an NBA record to this day. The Celtics also made the finals in 1958, but lost to the Hawks. The only year Boston failed to make the finals during his career was 1967, when they were finally overpowered by Russell’s friend Wilt Chamberlain and the eventual champion Philadelphia 76ers in the division finals.
From 1966-67 to ’68-69, Bill Russell was both starting center and coach, becoming the first black head coach in league history. This followed the retirement of his friend Red Auerbach, who chose Russell as his successor. He also served as the team’s captain from 1963 to ‘66.
Russell was named MVP of the league five times (1958, ‘61, ‘62, ‘63, and ‘65), named All-NBA First Team in ‘59, ‘63 and ‘65, and Second Team eight times (‘58, ‘60, ‘61, ‘62, 64, ‘66, ‘67, ‘68). He was also named All-Defensive First Team in his final season in 1969 (the first year the award existed) and was an All-Star every season besides his rookie year, for a total of twelve straight appearances. Russell also led the league in rebounds per game five times (1957, ‘58, ‘59, ‘64 and ‘65) and once in minutes per game, and holds the playoff record for career rebounds per game with a staggering 24.9. The NBA didn’t begin counting blocked shots until the 1973-74 season; had they started earlier, Russell would likely be among the all time leaders in that category. However, he is the Celtics all time leader in rebounds with 21,620, second only to Wilt Chamberlain on the all time list. Second to Russell among Celtics players is Robert Parish, with over ten thousand less. Among Celtics, he’s second only to John Havlicek in minutes played. He’s also sixth in assists and eighth in points. His career highs include 24.7 rebounds per game in 1963-64 and 18.9 points per game in 1961-62. His single game high for points was 37, a mark he reached twice; first in a March 1961 win against the Philadelphia Warriors, and again in a December 1967 win against the Lakers. He also grabbed a ridiculous career high of 49 rebounds in a March 1965 win against the Detroit Pistons.
Russell’s number “6” was retired by the Celtics in 1972, although he declined to have a public ceremony. This may have been due to the persistent racism he faced as a black player in Boston in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a city with a reputation for hostility toward African-Americans. However, Russell attended a re-retirement ceremony in the new Fleet Center (Now the TD Garden) in 1999, during which he received a thunderous standing ovation that brought tears to his eyes.
Following his playing career, Russell became head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics from 1973 to 1977 as well as the Sacramento Kings during the 1987-88 season and has worked as an NBA broadcaster. Bill Russell was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975. Always one to make a stand, Russell declined to attend the ceremony in protest of the fact that no other black people had been inducted into the Hall of Fame up to that point. As a further honor, the NBA Finals MVP award was re-named the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2009. Russell himself never received the award, as it wasn’t introduced until 1969. He was one of only four players to be named to the NBA’s 25th, 35th, and 50th Anniversary Teams. In the vote for the 35th Anniversary Team in 1980, he was voted greatest NBA player of all time. A statue of Russell was unveiled in City Hall Plaza in Boston in 2013. He was honored by the city where he’d struggled to gain the respect and recognition he deserved in his playing days. He’s since become a beloved figure among Celtics fans and the broader basketball community and is widely considered to be among the greatest ever to play the game.
#24 Sam Jones, “Mr. Clutch,” Shooting Guard, 1957-1969
Born in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1933, Sam Jones attended North Carolina Central University (then North Carolina College) from 1951 to ‘54 and returned in ‘56-57 after serving in the military. He was a three-time All-Conference selection. Jones is second all-time in points scored at NCCU with 1,745, and his number 41 was retired by the school. In 1962, Jones was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.
He was originally drafted when he first left school by the Minneapolis Lakers, but Jones returning to school in 1956 voided their selection. Jones was then drafted eighth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1957, making his debut at the age of 24, and made it to the NBA Finals in his rookie year, although Boston lost to the St. Louis Hawks. It wasn’t until his second year in the league that he took on a major role in Boston’s lineup.
Jones wouldn’t have to get used to losing as the team won the NBA Championship an incredible ten times during his career; against the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, the Hawks in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64, and the Lakers four more times in ‘65, ‘66, ‘68 and ‘69. Along with Bill Russell and K. C. Jones, Sam Jones was one of only three Celtics to play every season of their unmatched run of eight straight championships from 1959 to ‘66. His total of ten rings is second only to Bill Russell. Only in 1967 did the Celtics fail to reach the finals after being bounced by Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Division Finals.
Sam Jones made Second Team All-NBA in three straight years, from 1965 to ‘67. He was also a five time All-Star, first in 1962 and again in ‘64, ‘65, ‘66 and ‘68. Jones currently sits at seventh all-time among Celtics players in points with over 15,000, and tenth all-time in minutes played. His career highs include 25.9 points per game in 1964-65 and shooting nearly 86 percent from the line in ‘66-67. He scored a career high of 51 points in two different games; first in an October 1965 loss to the Detroit Pistons, then in a win against the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs in 1967.
The ten-time champ retired in 1969, and his number “24” was retired by the Celtics that year. Also in 1969, he became the first black athlete honored by the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. After his playing career, Jones spent time coaching at the college level, first at Federal City College in Washington, DC from 1969 to ‘73, then at his Alma Mater of North Carolina Central for the 1973-74 season. In 1974-75, he served as the assistant coach of the New Orleans Jazz.
He was selected to both the NBA’s 25th and 50th Anniversary All-Time Teams. Considered one of the best shooting guards of his generation, Sam Jones was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.
#25 K.C. Jones, Point Guard and Coach, 1958-1967, 1983-1988
Born in Taylor, Texas in 1932, K.C. Jones attended the University of San Francisco from 1952 to ‘56, winning two NCAA Championships on a squad that included his future Celtics teammate, Bill Russell. Along with two titles, Jones made Second Team All-American in 1956. The same year, Jones and Russell played for team USA at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, winning the Gold Medal. Jones was picked 13th overall in the 1956 draft, acquired by the Boston Celtics the same day as Bill Russell and Tom Heinsohn. Before joining the team in 1958, Jones tried out for the National Football League, but didn’t make the cut.
He was known for his tough defense and was part of an era of Celtics domination, with the team winning the NBA Championship eight times in his nine year career. They beat the Minneapolis Lakers in 1959, the St. Louis Hawks in ‘60 and ‘61, the now Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64, and the Lakers again in ‘65 and ‘66. Only in 1967 were Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers able to stop the Celtics in the Division Finals. Along with Bill Russell and Sam Jones, K.C. was one of three Celtics to play in all of their consecutive championship runs of 1959 to ‘66. Along with Tom Sanders and John Havlicek, he’s one of only three players to play in eight Finals without losing any.
Jones currently sits at ninth all time among Celtics players in assists and 29th in points. His career highs include 6.3 assists per game in 1965-66. He scored a career high of 22 points in two different games, first in a December 1962 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, then in a November 1965 win against the San Francisco Warriors. Jones retired as a player in 1967, and his number “25” was retired that year. He and Russell are among the only seven basketball players ever to win an NCAA Championship, an Olympic gold medal and an NBA Championship.
In the fall of 1967, Jones began coaching at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he stayed until 1970. He then became assistant coach at Harvard for the 1970-71 season, before moving on to the pros and becoming assistant coach of the Lakers, working under his old Celtics teammate, head coach Bill Sharman. The Lakers had an incredible season in ‘71-72; led by Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich, they won 69 games, including a record 33 in a row, and won their first NBA Championship (against the New York Knicks) since leaving Minneapolis. Jones moved on to head coach the American Basketball Association (ABA)’s San Diego Conquistadors in 1972-73.
He came back to the NBA the next year to become head coach of the Washington Bullets from 1973 to ‘76. In 1975, Jones led the Bullets to the finals, beating the Celtics in the Conference Finals. In the NBA Finals, the Bullets faced the Golden State Warriors. With Al Attles coaching Golden State, it was the first Finals to feature two black head coaches. Unfortunately for Jones, the Bullets were swept in four games. Also in ‘75, Jones coached the Eastern Conference All-Star Team. After leaving the Bullets, Jones became the assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976-77, before things came full circle as he re-joined the Celtics as their assistant coach from 1978-79 to ‘82-83.
The team was in a bad way in his first season back despite the excellent play of young forward Cedric Maxwell, but the Celtics soon saw the arrival of three stars, with Larry Bird joining the team in 1979-80 and Robert Parish and Kevin McHale coming in ’80-81. The Celtics were champions again in 1981, beating the Houston Rockets in six games. After an embarrassing four game sweep by the Bucks in the second round of the ‘83 playoffs, Celtics head coach Bill Fitch was fired and K.C. Jones took his spot.
The ‘83-84 season was the beginning of an amazing run for K.C. and the Celtics, who beat the rival Lakers in seven games for their second championship of the decade. In the ‘85 finals, the Celtics lost a re-match with the Lakers in six. In 85-86, the Celtics fielded one of the best teams in their history. During the ‘85 off-season, Cedric Maxwell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for veteran center Bill Walton, who had an excellent year coming off the bench for Robert Parish. Maxwell’s departure also allowed Kevin McHale to become the team’s starting power forward and shine as one of the league’s best low post scorers. They also acquired point guard Jerry Sichting from the Indiana Pacers, who was one of the league’s best shooters that year, hitting 57% from the field. The Celtics steamrolled the league, winning 67 games including 40 of 41 at home. They went on to win the NBA Finals in six games, again defeating the Houston Rockets.
Following that high point, the team experienced several serious setbacks. The first and most heart-breaking was the death of college superstar Len Bias two days after he was drafted second overall by Boston. Second, after a rare healthy year in ‘85-86, Bill Walton was injured and only played in ten regular season games in ’86-87. He was able to appear in twelve playoff games, but only for an average of 8.5 minutes. Third, Kevin McHale broke his foot in March of ‘87 but kept playing on it for the rest of the year. He played well but wasn’t 100 percent, and his decision to play affected the rest of his career. Had Len Bias made it to the NBA, McHale could’ve gotten much more rest. All things considered, the Celtics had a good run in ‘87, winning 59 games and finishing first in their division. In the end, they didn’t have the depth of the year before and again fell to the Lakers in the finals. In ‘87-88, the Celtics had another strong season with 57 wins, but lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Conference Finals in six games, missing the NBA Finals for the first time since 1983. Jones left the team following the season.
Other than Red Auerbach, K.C. Jones had the greatest tenure of any Celtics head coach. He won 308 games and lost just 102, a winning percentage of .751, higher than any other Boston coach, including Red himself. He took the team on four straight trips to the finals, winning two, and never falling short of the Conference Finals. He also coached the Eastern Conference All-Star Team an impressive four straight years, from 1984 to ‘87. In 1989, Jones became the assistant coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, and in 1990 was promoted to head coach, where he remained until 1992. In the ‘94-95 season he was assistant coach of the Detroit Pistons, and in ‘96-97 made one more trip back to Boston, reprising his role as assistant coach, working under his former player and then head coach, M. L. Carr. K.C. Jones was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989, and it remains to be seen if he’ll make it there as a coach.
#16 Tom Sanders, “Satch,” Power Forward, 1960-1973
Born in New York City in 1938, Tom “Satch” Sanders attended New York University from 1957 to ‘60, where he was Third Team All-American and won the Haggerty Award for best college player in New York City, both in 1960.
That year he was drafted eighth overall by the Boston Celtics, and they won the NBA Championship in his rookie year against the St. Louis Hawks. Sanders would win seven more with the team by 1969; against the Los Angeles Lakers in ‘62 and ‘63, the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64, and the Lakers four more times in ‘65, ‘66, ‘68 and ‘69. Sanders is one of only three NBA players to play in eight championships without losing a single one, the others being his Celtic teammates, K. C. Jones and John Havlicek.
Always a strong defensive player, Sanders was named All-Defensive Second Team in 1969, the first year All-Defensive selections were made. Tom Sanders retired following the 1972-73 season, and his number “16” was retired shortly after. He currently sits at eighth all time among Celtics players in rebounds and 15th in points. His career highs include 12.6 points per game in 1965-66, 9.5 rebounds per game in 1961-62, and a free throw percentage of 88% in 1969-70. He scored a career high of 30 points in a March 1962 drubbing of the Syracuse Nationals.
He went on to coach at Harvard from 1973 to ‘77, becoming the first black head coach of any major American sports team at an Ivy League school. Sanders returned to the Celtics as the team’s assistant coach for the 1977-78 season and was promoted to head coach mid-season following the departure of his old teammate, Tom Heinsohn. He was replaced by Dave Cowens, who took on the role of player-coach, 14 games into the next season. In 1986, Sanders became the head of the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program, which was the first of its kind in any major North American sport. In 2011, Tom Sanders was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
#17 John Havlicek, “Hondo,” Small Forward, 1962-1978
Born in Martins Ferry, Ohio in 1940, John Havlicek attended Ohio State University from 1959 to ‘62, where he won a National Title in 1960, was named Second Team All-American in ‘62, and Third Team All-American in ‘61. His number “5” was retired by the school.
Havlicek was drafted seventh overall in 1962 by the Boston Celtics, and was good enough at football that he was also drafted by the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Luckily for Boston he decided to go with basketball, and made All-Rookie First Team in ’62-63, which also saw Hondo and the Celtics winning the NBA Championship against the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the first of many titles in Havlicek’s career. Boston won it all the next three years in a row, against the San Francisco Warriors in ‘64 and the Lakers again in ‘65 and ‘66. His game-winning steal against the Philadelphia 76ers in game seven of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals has gone down as one of the most famous plays in NBA history. The Celtics lost in the playoffs to the 76ers in 1967, but were champions again in ‘68 and ‘69, defeating the Lakers both times.
After a bumpy transition period following the retirement of Bill Russell and Sam Jones in 1969, Havlicek and the Celtics were back in the playoffs in ‘72 and won two more championships in 1974 and ‘76, against the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns respectively, and he was named MVP of the ‘74 finals. The team had its best ever regular season in ’72-73, going 68 and 14, but lost game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals only after Havlicek dislocated his shoulder part way through the series. Hondo heroically continued to play with just one good arm. By that time he’d long since moved on from the sixth man role he thrived in early in his career. Havlicek is one of only three players to reach eight NBA finals without losing a single one, the others being his Celtic teammates K.C. Jones and Tom Sanders.
Along with being an eight-time champion, Hondo won many individual accolades; he was First Team All-NBA four years in a row (1971 to ‘74), Second Team seven times (1964, ‘66, ‘68-‘70, ‘75, ‘76), NBA All-Defensive First Team five straight years (1972 to ‘76), All-Defensive Second Team in 1969, ‘70 and ‘71, and made an incredible thirteen straight All-Star Games, from 1966 until his last year in the league in 1978. He also served as the Celtics’ captain from 1967 until his retirement. His number “17” was retired by the Celtics after his final game at the Garden.
At the time, he was the NBA’s all-time leader in games played, a record he held until it was broken by Elvin Hayes in 1984. He was also third all-time in points behind Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson. Future NBA star Chris Mullin would later wear number “17” in tribute to Havlicek. To this day, Havlicek is the Celtics all-time leading scorer with 26,395 points, over 2,000 more than his closest competitor, Paul Pierce. He also leads all Celtics in minutes played with 46,471, nearly 6,000 more than Bill Russell, who’s sits in second place. He’s also second only to Bob Cousy in assists and fifth in rebounds. His career highs include 28.9 points per game in 1969-70, and over 3,600 minutes played and 7.5 per game assists in 70-71 and ‘71-72. He scored a single game career high of 54 points in a playoff win against the Atlanta Hawks in April 1973.
He was named to the NBA’s 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time Teams. Many, including Bill Russell, count Havlicek as one of the greatest players of his generation, if not all time. In 1984, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. John Havlicek died in May of 2019 of Parkinson’s disease.
#19 Don Nelson, “Nellie,” Small Forward, 1965-1976
Born in Muskegon, Michigan in 1940, Don Nelson attended the University of Iowa from 1959 to ‘62, where he made Third Team All-American in his final year. He was drafted 17th overall by the Chicago Zephyrs (now the Washington Wizards) in 1962. He moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1963, and reached the NBA Finals with the team in 1965, but lost to the Boston Celtics.
Nelson became a Celtic himself later that year, winning a title against the Lakers in 1966, and two more against them in 1968 and ‘69. Nelson scored a key basket towards the end of the deciding game of the ‘69 series, helping to secure another title for Boston. He spent much of his career in Boston as the team’s sixth man, following in the footsteps on Frank Ramsey and John Havlicek. After a rough couple of years following Bill Russell’s retirement in 1969, Nelson and the Celtics got back on track, winning two more championships; in 1974 Against the Milwaukee Bucks, and in ‘76 against the Phoenix Suns, capping off his career with a fifth title.
His career highs include 15.4 points per game in 1969-70 and shooting a league-leading 54% from the field in 1974-75. He scored a career high 40 points in a win against the San Diego Rockets in February 1970. Despite mostly coming off the bench, Nelson currently sits at 14th all time among Celtics players in points. He retired as a player in 1976, and his number “19” was retired by the Celtics in 1978.
He was far from done with basketball though, becoming head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976. He won Coach of the Year in 1983, the same year the Bucks swept the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. Unfortunately for Nelson, the Bucks were eliminated the next round by the eventual champion Philadelphia 76ers. The Celtics got their revenge the following year, defeating the Bucks in the Conference Finals in five games on their way to another title. Nelson won Coach of the year for the second time in 1985, despite being swept by the 76ers in the semifinals. In 1986, the Bucks were swept by the Celtics in the Conference after Nelson made the mistake of saying he was a better, smarter coach than the Celtics’ K.C. Jones.
Nelson left the Bucks after losing to the Celtics in the playoffs again in 1987, joining the Golden State Warriors in 1988. Although he never made it past the second round of the playoffs at Golden State, he won his third coach of the year award in 1992. He also coached Team USA to a Gold Medal at the 1994 FIBA World Championships in Canada. In 1995-96, Nelson moved on to the New York Knicks, but was fired that March due to disagreements with management. From 1997 to 2005, Nelson coached the Dallas Mavericks, who made it as far as the Conference Finals in 2003, losing to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in six games. Nelson returned to coaching the Warriors from 2006 to 2010, although they only made the playoffs in his first year back. Don Nelson is one of only three coaches to win Coach of the Year three times, the others being Pat Riley and Greg Popovich. He also coached the Western Conference All-Star Team twice, in 1992 and 2002. Don Nelson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2012, and it’s likely only a matter of time before he’s inducted as a coach
orn in St. Louis in 1946, Joseph Henry “Jo Jo” White attended the University of Kansas from 1965 to ‘69 where he was a star player; he was a back to back Second-Team All American in 1968 and ‘69, and his number “15” was retired by Kansas. As a student, White won Gold Medals at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, and the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. White was drafted by Boston ninth overall in the 1969 NBA draft, and was so good at football that he was also drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.
He came into the league following the retirement of two Celtic greats, Bill Russell and Sam Jones. As a result, the Celtics experienced their first losing season in nearly twenty years. White performed well however, and having been a member of the Marine Corps, he came into the league in excellent physical condition and made All-Rookie First Team in 1970. By 1971-72, the team was back to its winning ways. White won two championships with the Celtics, first in 1974 against the Milwaukee Bucks, and in 1976 against the Phoenix Suns. He was named MVP of the ‘76 finals, having averaged about 22 points, 6 assists and 1.5 steals in the six game series.
He was named All-NBA Second Team in 1975 and ‘77, and was an All-Star seven straight years, from 1971 to ‘77. He would also serve as the Celtics team captain for part of the 1978-79 season. Following an injury sustained during the ‘77-78 season, White’s play began to decline and he was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 1979, where he would play alongside future Celtic great Robert Parish. White loved being able to call himself a Celtic and be a part of the team’s proud tradition, and wasn’t happy to leave Boston.
In 1980 White joined the Kansas City Kings, retiring in 1981. His number “10” was retired by the Celtics in 1982. In 1982 and ‘83, he served as the assistant coach of his old college team, the Kansas Jayhawks. Among Celtics players, White currently sits at seventh all time in assists, ninth in minutes played and tenth in points. His career highs include 23.1 points per game in 1971-72, 6.1 assists per game in 1972-73, and shooting 88% from the line in 1978-79. He scored a career high 41 points in a March 1977 win against the Kansas City Kings.
In 2015, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and was introduced by his old teammates, John Havlicek and Dave Cowens. Jo Jo White died in January of 2018 due to complications from surgery.
Born in Newport, Kentucky in 1948, Dave Cowens attended Florida State University from 1967 to ’70, where he was named Second Team All-American in his last year. To this day, he’s the school’s all time leader in rebounds with 1,340, as well as the leader in rebounds per game with 17.5 in 1968-69 and is second all time in single game rebounds with 31. His number “5” was retired by Florida State. Although relatively short for a center at 6’9’’, Cowens was drafted fourth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1970, partly on the recommendation of Bill Russell.
The Celtics were going through a difficult transition following the retirement of Russell and many of the other stars of the ‘50s and ‘60s, and they missed the playoffs in Cowens’ rookie season. He started strong however, winning Rookie of the Year and making All-Rookie First Team in 1971. The Celtics soon turned things around, thanks to Cowens and Jo Jo White, who had entered the league the year before, and the C’s were back in the playoffs in ‘72. 1972 was also Cowens’ first All Star Game, something he would repeat every year of his Celtics career besides 1979. In 1974, Cowens would win his first NBA Championship against the Milwaukee Bucks, and won another in 1976 against the Phoenix Suns. Cowens retired for the first time in 1980 at the relatively young age of 31.
He was later convinced to return to basketball to play one more season for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1982-83, where his old teammate Don Nelson was head coach. Alongside his two championship rings, Dave Cowens was also League MVP in 1973, averaging over 20 points and 16 rebounds in a season that the Celtics went 68 and 14. He was also All-NBA Second Team in 1973, ‘75 and ‘76, All-Defensive First Team in 1976, and All-Defensive Second Team in 1975 and ‘80. He served as Celtics team captain from 1978 to 1980 and as player-coach for most of 1978-79. He was also selected to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Among Celtics players, Cowens currently sits at third all time in rebounds, sixth in blocked shots, eighth in minutes played, ninth in both points and steals, and tenth in assists. His career highs include 16.2 rebounds and 20.5 points per game, both in 1972-73. He scored a career high 39 points in a January 1976 win against the Philadelphia 76ers. That March, he grabbed a ridiculous 27 rebounds in another win against the Sixers. In 1977-78, he was one of five players ever to lead their team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in the same season. Cowens’ number “18” was retired by the Celtics in 1981.
After his playing career, Cowens became the assistant coach of the San Antonio Spurs from 1994 to ‘96, then head coach of the Charlotte Hornets from 1996 to ‘99 and of the Golden State Warriors from 1999 to 2001. In 2006, he joined the coaching staff of the Detroit Pistons. In 1991, Dave Cowens was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Mack's Basketball Stuff 