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8.8k voters

The Best Boston Celtics of All Time

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated April 29, 2020 79.6k votes 8.8k voters 103.5k views133 items

List RulesPlease rank the players based only on their time with the Celtics

This is a list of the best Boston Celtics of all time. When people think of the NBA, one of the first teams that comes to mind is the Boston Celtics. Throughout the franchise's storied history, the Celtics have had many of the greatest players of all time on its roster. The number of the game's greatest players to play in Boston is an embarrassment of riches compared to many of the league's also-rans. Bill Russell was the first great player to wear the Celtics green and white. During his tenure with the team, the Celtics won a whopping 11 championships in 13 legendary seasons. Russell is considered the best player of his generation and one of the best centers of all time.

This wouldn't be a proper Ultimate List if we didn't include Larry Bird on it. Perhaps the most popular player in Celtics history, Larry Legend is one of the best small forwards of all time. During his historic run in Boston, Bird, along with teammates Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, powered the Celtics to five NBA Finals berths, winning three championships.

After Bird retired, the Celtics relied on Paul Pierce as the team's leader. Along with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Pierce led the Celtics to a league record 17th championship when it defeated the rival Los Angeles Lakers in 2008. These three players are beloved by Celtics fans and look at them as some of greatest players to wear a Celtics uniform.

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Larry Bird
Small forward, Power forward
Age: 64
Birthplace: West Baden Springs, French Lick Township, Indiana, United States of America
Teams: Boston Celtics
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4,100
720
Bill Russell
Center
Age: 85
Birthplace: West Monroe, Louisiana, United States of America
Teams: Boston Celtics
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#388 of 583 The Greatest Entertainers of All Time#311 of 432 The Most Important Leaders in U.S. History
3
2,187
738
John Havlicek
Small forward, Shooting guard
Age: 80
Birthplace: Martins Ferry, Ohio, United States of America
Teams: Boston Celtics
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#2 of 33 The Greatest Ohio State Basketball Players of All Time#80 of 120 The Fastest NBA Players of All Time
4
1,705
559
Robert Parish
Center
Age: 66
Birthplace: Shreveport, Louisiana
Teams: Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls
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#5 of 23 The Best NBA Centers of the 1980s#8 of 30 The Best NBA Centers of the '90s
5
2,130
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Kevin McHale
Power forward, Center
Age: 63
Birthplace: Hibbing, Minnesota, United States of America
Teams: Boston Celtics
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#4 of 25 The Best Power Forwards of the 80s#475 of 874 Big Grid relations
6
1,973
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Bob Cousy
Point guard
Age: 92
Birthplace: Yorkville, New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Cincinnati Royals, Boston Celtics
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Paul Pierce
Small forward
Age: 43
Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States of America
Number: 34
Teams: Boston Celtics
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#3 of 49 The Greatest Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Players of All Time#8 of 135 The Best Small Forwards of All Time
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2,274
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Kevin Garnett
Power forward
Age: 44
Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina, United States of America
Number: 5
Teams: Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves
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#944 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time#41 of 115 The Funniest Professional Athletes
9
1,102
427
Dennis Johnson
Point guard
Age: Dec. at 53 (1954-2007)
Birthplace: San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, Seattle Supersonics
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#64 of 175 The Greatest Shooting Guards in NBA History#43 of 150 The Greatest Point Guards in NBA History
10
1,179
473
Sam Jones
Point guard, Shooting guard
Age: 86
Birthplace: Wilmington, North Carolina
Teams: Boston Celtics
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#8 of 27 The Best 60s NBA Shooting Guards#11 of 118 The Best NBA Players from North Carolina
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908
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Jo Jo White
Point guard
Age: 73
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
Teams: Kansas City Kings, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors
12
1,219
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Dave Cowens
Power forward, Center
Age: 71
Birthplace: Newport, Kentucky
Teams: Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks
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#8 of 27 The Best Centers of the 70s#41 of 96 The Best Rebounders in NBA History
13
1,703
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Ray Allen
Shooting guard
Age: 44
Birthplace: Merced, California, United States of America
Number: 34
Teams: Boston Celtics, Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks
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#1 of 41 The Greatest UConn Basketball Players of All Time#34 of 77 US Men’s Olympic Basketball All-Time Dream Team

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758
312
K. C. Jones
Point guard
Age: 87
Birthplace: Taylor, Texas
Teams: Boston Celtics
15
762
334
Nate Archibald
Point guard
Age: 71
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Teams: Kansas City Kings, New York Nets, Cincinnati Royals, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks
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#6 of 20 The Best 80s NBA Point Guards#98 of 116 The Greatest Left-Handed Athletes of All Time
16
628
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Reggie Lewis
Small forward
Age: Dec. at 28 (1965-1993)
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
Teams: Boston Celtics
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#16 of 32 The Best NBA Shooting Guards of the 90s#27 of 143 Athletes Whose Careers Ended Too Soon
17
792
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Tom Heinsohn
Center
Age: 85
Birthplace: Jersey City, New Jersey
Teams: Boston Celtics
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#88 of 168 The Greatest Power Forwards in NBA History#106 of 227 The Greatest Offensive Players in NBA History
18
1,461
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Isaiah Thomas
Point guard
Age: 31
Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington
Number: 22
Teams: Washington Wizards
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#38 of 102 The Most Likable Players In The NBA Today#52 of 76 The Best Point Guards Currently in the NBA
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Danny Ainge
Shooting guard
Age: 61
Birthplace: Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics
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#5 of 107 College & Professional Athletes Who Were Raised Mormon#20 of 26 The Best NBA Shooting Guards of the 80s
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815
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Bill Walton
Center
Age: 68
Birthplace: La Mesa, California, United States of America
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, San Diego Clippers, Los Angeles Clippers
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#14 of 232 The Best White Players in NBA History#28 of 165 The Greatest NBA Centers of All Time
21
589
298
Cedric Maxwell
Power forward
Age: 64
Birthplace: Kinston, North Carolina
Teams: Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers
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1,268
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Rajon Rondo
Point guard
Age: 34
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
Number: 9
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
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#85 of 786 The Top NBA Players Of All Time#10 of 141 The Greatest Kentucky Basketball Players of All Time
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592
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Jaylen Brown
Small forward, Power forward
Number: 7
Teams: Boston Celtics
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#33 of 294 The Top 100+ NBA Players Today#90 of 96 The Most Overrated Players In The NBA Today

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Bill Sharman
Shooting guard
Age: Dec. at 87 (1926-2013)
Birthplace: Abilene, Texas
Teams: Washington Capitols, Boston Celtics
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#56 of 76 The All Time Greatest NBA Coaches#23 of 23 The Best NBA Shooting Guards of the 70s
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685
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Pete Maravich
Shooting guard
Age: Dec. at 41 (1947-1988)
Birthplace: Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Number: 44
Teams: Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Jazz
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#13 of 161 The Best NBA Players With No Championship Rings#3 of 86 The Best Second-Generation NBA Players Of All Time

Jaylen Brown