The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946 as one of the league's original eight teams, the Celtics play their home games at TD Garden, a shared arena with the NHL's Boston Bruins. The Celtics are commonly regarded as the most successful team in NBA history. They hold the records for most NBA championships won, with 18, most recorded wins of any NBA franchise, and hold a winning record against every other team in the NBA.
The Celtics' rise to dominance began in the late 1950s, after the team, led by coach Red Auerbach, acquired Bill Russell in 1956, later becoming the cornerstone of the Celtics dynasty. Led by Russell, Bob Cousy, and Tom Heinsohn, the Celtics won their first NBA championship in 1957. Russell, along with a talented supporting cast of future Hall of Famers including Heinsohn, Don Nelson, K. C. Jones, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, Satch Sanders, and Bill Sharman, would usher the Celtics into the greatest period in franchise history, winning eight consecutive NBA championships from 1959 to 1966. After Russell became the team's player-coach, as well as the first African American head coach in any United States sport, they won back-to-back titles in 1968 and 1969. The Celtics entered a period of rebuilding after Russell retired in 1969.
In the mid-1970s, the Celtics became contenders once again, winning championships in 1974 and 1976 under the leadership of head coach Tom Heinsohn with Dave Cowens, Havlicek, and Jo Jo White. In the 1980s, the Celtics returned to dominance. Anchored by the "Big Three" of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, the team experienced a renewed rivalry with the "Showtime" Lakers and won championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986, the latter two with head coach K. C. Jones. After the retirements of Bird and McHale, the departure of Parish, and the untimely deaths of 1986 draft pick Len Bias and star player Reggie Lewis, the Celtics struggled through the 1990s and much of the early 2000s.
After another period of rebuilding, the Celtics assembled a new "Big Three" around team captain Paul Pierce by acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in the 2007 off-season. Under the leadership of head coach Doc Rivers, the team defeated the Lakers to win their 17th championship in 2008, while also losing to the Lakers in the 2010 Finals. Allen, Garnett, and Pierce were no longer with the team by the start of the 2013–14 season, with Garnett and Pierce being traded to the Brooklyn Nets for four total future first-round picks. With two of these first-round picks, the team drafted Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Led by "The Jays", the team returned to the NBA Finals in 2022, losing to the Golden State Warriors, and defeated the Dallas Mavericks in 2024 to secure their 18th championship.
The "Celtics" team name and the team's mascot "Lucky the Leprechaun" are nods to Boston's historically large Irish population, and also to the Original Celtics, a barnstorming basketball team that played in the early 20th century. The Celtics have a notable rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are second in NBA history with 17 championships. The teams' rivalry was especially pronounced in the 1960s and 1980s. The Celtics have played the Lakers a record 12 times in the NBA Finals and have defeated them nine times. 41 members of Basketball Hall of Fame have played for the Celtics at least once in their careers. Four Celtics players (Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens and Larry Bird) have won the NBA Most Valuable Player award; overall, Celtics players have won an NBA-record 10 MVP awards."Most Valuable Player Award Winners" basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 16, 2009.
In May 2025, the team was sold to private equity investor William Chisholm for $6.1 billion, making it the highest ever valued transaction for a sports franchise in North America. However, the Celtics' record was surpassed later in 2025 when the Los Angeles Lakers were valued at approximately $10 billion in the sale of a majority stake—making the Celtics' deal the second-highest valued sports franchise transaction in U.S. history.
History
1946–1950: Early years The Boston Celtics were formed on June 6, 1946, by Boston Garden-Arena Corporation president Walter A. Brown as a team in the Basketball Association of America. In 1948, the team earned its first playoff appearance, only to lose to the Chicago Stags 4–1. In 1949, the team missed the playoffs, fifth in the Eastern Division. Then, on August 3, 1949, the team became part of the National Basketball Association following the merger of the BAA and rival National Basketball League. In 1950, the Celtics signed Chuck Cooper, becoming the first NBA franchise to draft a black player. Chuck Connors of The Rifleman fame was an original member of the Celtics in 1946.
1950–1958: Arrival of Bob Cousy and Red Auerbach
The Celtics struggled during their early years, until the hiring of coach Red Auerbach.Hilton, Lisette Auerbach's Celtics played as a team, espn.go.com/classic. Retrieved August 28, 2009. In the franchise's early days, Auerbach had no assistants, ran all the practices, did all the scouting—both of opposing teams and college draft prospects—and scheduled all road trips. One of the first great players to join the Celtics was Bob Cousy, whom Auerbach initially refused to draft out of nearby Holy Cross because he was "too flashy". Cousy's contract eventually became the property of the Chicago Stags,Bob Cousy Biography , nba.com/history, accessed February 1, 2008| but when that franchise went bankrupt, Cousy went to the Celtics in a dispersal draft.
After the 1955–56 season, Auerbach made a stunning trade, sending perennial All-Star Ed Macauley to the St. Louis Hawks along with the draft rights to Cliff Hagan for the second overall pick in the draft.Ed Macauley, hoophall.com, accessed May 26, 2008. After negotiating with the Rochester Royals—a negotiation that included a promise that the Celtics owner would send the highly sought-after Ice Capades to Rochester if the Royals would let Russell slide to No. 2—Auerbach used the pick to select University of San Francisco center Bill Russell.Only the Ball Was Brown , daviskamp.com. Retrieved August 15, 2008. Auerbach also acquired Holy Cross standout, and 1957 NBA Rookie of the Year, Tom Heinsohn.Season Recap – 1950s , nba.com. Retrieved February 17, 2008. Both Russell and Heinsohn worked extraordinarily well with Cousy, and they were the players around whom Auerbach would build the champion Celtics for more than a decade. With Bill Russell, the Celtics advanced to the 1957 NBA Finals and defeated the St. Louis Hawks in seven games, earning their first NBA title.Bob Pettit Bio , nba.com/history. Retrieved February 28, 2007. In 1958, the Celtics again advanced to the NBA Finals, this time losing to the Hawks in six games.St. Louis Hawks (1955–1968) , sportsecyclopedia.com. Retrieved February 28, 2007.
1958–1969: Bill Russell era and decade-long dynasty
Following the acquisition of K.C. Jones in 1958, the Celtics began a dynasty that would last for more than a decade.Boston Celtics (1946 – present) , sportsecyclopedia.com. Retrieved October 9, 2008. In 1959, the Celtics won the NBA championship after sweeping the Minneapolis Lakers, the first of their record eight consecutive championships.Los Angeles Lakers History, nba.com/lakers. Retrieved January 13, 2005. During that time, the Celtics met the Lakers in the Finals five times, starting an intense and often bitter rivalry that has spanned generations. In 1964, the Celtics became the first NBA team to have an all African-American starting lineup. On December 26, 1964, Willie Naulls replaced an injured Tom Heinsohn, joining Tom 'Satch' Sanders, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, and Bill Russell in the starting lineup. The Celtics defeated St. Louis 97–84. Boston won its next 11 games with Naulls starting in place of Heinsohn. ., Retrieved November 2, 2014. The Celtics of the late 1950s–1960s are widely considered one of the most dominant teams of all time.
Auerbach retired as coach after the 1965–66 season and Russell took over as player-coach, which was Auerbach's ploy to keep Russell interested.Celtics Coach Red Auerbach Retires , massmoments.org. Retrieved October 28, 2010. With his appointment Russell became the first African-American coach in any U.S. pro sport. Auerbach would remain the general manager, a position he would hold well into the 1980s. However, the Celtics' string of NBA titles ended when they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1967 Eastern Division finals. The aging team managed two more championships in 1968 and 1969, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers each time.Discover the Wisdom of Mankind on Boston Celtics blinkbits.com. Retrieved July 16, 2005. Russell retired after the 1969 season, effectively ending a Celtics dynasty that had garnered an unrivaled 11 NBA titles in 13 seasons.Heritage Week: Power Rankings, 1969–70 nba.com. Retrieved December 8, 2007. The team's run of 8 consecutive is the longest championship streak in U.S. professional sports history,"Unbreakable" Sports Records (The World Almanac) worldalmanac.com. Retrieved April 13, 2007. with Russell's 11 titles being the most won by an NBA player.
1969–1978: Rebuilding and further success
The 1969–70 season was a rebuilding year, as the Celtics had their first losing record since the 1949–50 season. However, with the acquisition of Paul Silas and future Hall of Famers Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White, the Celtics soon became dominant again. After losing in the Eastern Conference finals in 1972, the Celtics regrouped and came out determined in 1973 and posted an excellent 68–14 regular season record. But the season ended in disappointment, as they were upset in seven games by the New York Knicks in the conference finals. John Havlicek injured his right shoulder in game six and was forced to play game seven shooting left-handed.Season Recaps – 1970s , nba.com. Retrieved August 2, 2003. The Celtics returned to the playoffs the next year, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1974 NBA Finals for their 12th NBA championship.Bucks NBA , jsonline.com. Retrieved April 16, 2005. Boston took a 3–2 series lead and had a chance to claim the title on their home court. The Bucks won Game Six in Boston when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nestled in a hook shot with 3 seconds left in the game's second overtime, and the series returned to Milwaukee. Cowens was the hero in game 7, scoring 28 points, as the Celtics brought the title back to Boston for the first time in five years.
In 1976, the team won yet another championship, defeating the Phoenix Suns in six games. The Finals featured one of the greatest games in NBA history. With the series tied at two games apiece, the Suns trailed early in the Boston Garden, but came back to force overtime. In double overtime, a Gar Heard turn-around jumper at the top of the key sent the game to a third overtime, at which point the Celtics prevailed.Greatest Game Ever , nba.com/suns. Retrieved March 2, 2002. After the 1976 championship and a playoff appearance in 1977, Boston went into another rebuilding phase. In the 1977 NBA draft, the Celtics drafted a young forward from UNC Charlotte named Cedric Maxwell.Boston Drafts Cedric Mexwell, sportsfilter.com. Retrieved December 2, 2001. "Cornbread" Maxwell did not contribute much in his rookie season, but he showed promise. Auerbach's job became even tougher following the 1977–78 season in which they went 32–50 as Havlicek, the Celtics' all-time leading scorer, retired after 16 seasons.