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BEST NBA PLAYERS OF EVERY TEAM PRESENTS

The Best Boston Celtics of All Time

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated April 29, 2020 82.4k votes 8.7k voters 103.0k 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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1
4,225
743
Bill Russell
Center
Age: 85
Birthplace: West Monroe, Louisiana, United States of America
Teams: Boston Celtics
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#357 of 1,816 The Best Athletes Of All Time#409 of 583 The Greatest Entertainers of All Time
2
4,629
822
Larry Bird
Small forward, Power forward
Age: 64
Birthplace: West Baden Springs, French Lick Township, Indiana, United States of America
Teams: Boston Celtics
3
2,248
764
John Havlicek
Small forward, Shooting guard
Age: 79
Birthplace: Martins Ferry, Ohio
Teams: Boston Celtics
4
1,760
560
Robert Parish
Center
Age: 66
Birthplace: Shreveport, Louisiana
Teams: Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls
5
2,194
745
Kevin McHale
Power forward, Center
Age: 62
Birthplace: Hibbing, Minnesota
Teams: Boston Celtics
6
2,028
733
Bob Cousy
Point guard
Age: 91
Birthplace: Yorkville, New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Cincinnati Royals, Boston Celtics
7
2,829
1,055
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#198 of 329 The Most Obnoxious Athletes

8
2,350
889
Kevin Garnett
Power forward
Age: 43
Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Number: 5
Teams: Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves
9
1,140
431
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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#62 of 175 The Greatest Shooting Guards in NBA History#45 of 150 The Greatest Point Guards in NBA History
10
1,204
490
Sam Jones
Point guard, Shooting guard
Age: 86
Birthplace: Wilmington, North Carolina
Teams: Boston Celtics
11
916
352
Jo Jo White
Point guard
Age: 73
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
Teams: Kansas City Kings, Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors
12
1,241
509
Dave Cowens
Power forward, Center
Age: 71
Birthplace: Newport, Kentucky
Teams: Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks
13
1,765
789
Ray Allen
Shooting guard
Age: 44
Birthplace: Merced, California, United States of America
Number: 34
Teams: Boston Celtics, Seattle Supersonics, Milwaukee Bucks
14
781
322
K. C. Jones
Point guard
Age: 87
Birthplace: Taylor, Texas
Teams: Boston Celtics
15
780
346
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
16
642
268
Reggie Lewis
Small forward
Age: Dec. at 28 (1965-1993)
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland
Teams: Boston Celtics
17
1,513
728
Isaiah Thomas
Point guard
Age: 31
Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington
Number: 22
Teams: Washington Wizards
18
844
387
Danny Ainge
Shooting guard
Age: 61
Birthplace: Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics
19
801
384
Tom Heinsohn
Center
Age: 85
Birthplace: Jersey City, New Jersey
Teams: Boston Celtics
20
843
401
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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#13 of 213 The Best White Players in NBA History#2 of 42 The Greatest UCLA Basketball Players of All Time
21
608
311
Cedric Maxwell
Power forward
Age: 64
Birthplace: Kinston, North Carolina
Teams: Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers
22
1,306
748
Rajon Rondo
Point guard
Age: 34
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America
Number: 9
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
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#84 of 786 The Top NBA Players Of All Time#8 of 141 The Greatest Kentucky Basketball Players of All Time
23
601
132
Jaylen Brown
Small forward, Power forward
Number: 7
Teams: Boston Celtics
24
714
404
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
25
717
323
Al Horford
Center
Age: 34
Birthplace: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Number: 42
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers
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#45 of 161 The Best NBA Players With No Championship Rings#55 of 102 The Most Likable Players In The NBA Today

Jaylen Brown