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Boston Celtics

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Big fan of Boston basketball? Then check out this list of Boston Celtics small forwards with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes almost every small forward from throughout Boston Celtics history, including current small forwards and past ones. Featuring some of the&nbsp;greatest <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-nba-small-forwards/ranker-nba?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">NBA small forwards</a> of all time,&nbsp;the best Celtics&nbsp;SFs include Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, John Havlicek, and Cedric Maxwell.In the 2017-18 NBA season, the current Boston Celtics starting SFs and backup SFs are Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, and Abdel Nader.&nbsp; Who are the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-10-small-forwards?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best small forwards</a> in Boston Celtics history? Here is every player who has ever held the position of Boston Celtics&nbsp;small forward.

Ranking The Best Boston Celtics Small Forwards of All Time

The Best Boston Celtics Small Forwards of All Time

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Larry Bird

Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, former coach, and former executive who most recently served as President of Basketball Operations for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Hick from French Lick," Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Drafted into the NBA by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Bird started at small forward and power forward for the Celtics for 13 seasons. Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star and received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award three consecutive times (1984–1986). He played his entire professional career for Boston, winning three NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards. Bird was also a member of the gold-medal-winning 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team known as "The Dream Team". He was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame again in 2010 as a member of "The Dream Team".
After retiring as a player, Bird served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. He was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 1997-1998 season and later led the Pacers to a berth in the 2000 NBA Finals. In 2003, Bird was named President of Basketball Operations for the Pacers, holding the position until retiring in 2012. He was named NBA Executive of the Year for the 2012 season. Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations in 2013 and remained in that role until 2017.
As of 2019, Bird is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, NBA Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.

John Havlicek

John Joseph Havlicek ( HAV-li-chek; April 8, 1940 – April 25, 2019) was an American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA championships, four of them coming in his first four seasons.
In the National Basketball Association he is one of four players to have won eight championships in their playing careers; only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones have won more, with 11 and 10 championships respectively. Havlicek is also one of three NBA players with an unsurpassed 8–0 record in NBA Finals series outcomes. Havlicek is widely considered to have been one of the greatest players in the history of the game and was inducted as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984. He was a three-sport athlete at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio.

Paul Pierce

Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently an analyst on ESPN's NBA Countdown.
Pierce was a high school McDonald's All-American and earned consensus first-team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas. After being chosen by the Boston Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Pierce spent the first 15 years of his career with Boston. Pierce's nickname, "The Truth", was given to him by Shaquille O'Neal in March 2001. He starred as captain of the Celtics, earning 10 All-Star selections and becoming a four-time All-NBA team member. Pierce combined with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007 to form a "Big Three" that led Boston to two NBA Finals and an NBA championship in 2008. Pierce was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 2008. Along with Larry Bird and John Havlicek, Pierce is one of only three players to have scored more than 20,000 career points with the Celtics. 
In July 2013, Pierce was traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with teammates Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry. He signed with the Washington Wizards as a free agent in 2014. After one season with the Wizards, Pierce reunited with former Celtics coach Doc Rivers and signed with the Clippers. He spent two seasons with the Clippers before retiring in 2017. On July 17, 2017, the Celtics signed Pierce to a contract, enabling him to retire as a member of the organization with which he spent his first 15 NBA seasons.

Jayson Tatum

Jayson Christopher Tatum (born March 3, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Tatum attended hometown Chaminade College Preparatory School, where he was rated a five-star recruit and regarded as one of the top players in the Class of 2016 by recruiting services. After one season with Duke, he entered the 2017 NBA draft, and was selected with the third overall pick by the Boston Celtics. He won the 2019 Skills Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend.

Jaylen Brown

Jaylen Brown (born October 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the California Golden Bears, being named first-team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Declaring for the 2016 NBA draft after that season, he was selected by the Celtics with the third overall pick. As a professional, he has split his time between shooting guard and small forward.

Reggie Lewis

Reggie Lewis (November 21, 1965 – July 27, 1993) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1987 to 1993.

Cedric Maxwell

Cedric Bryan Maxwell (born November 21, 1955) is an American retired professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.



Dominique Wilkins

Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is an American retired professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and is widely viewed as one of the best dunkers in NBA history, earning the nickname "The Human Highlight Film". In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In addition to his eleven seasons with the Hawks, Wilkins had short stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics, Panathinaikos Athens (a professional team in Greece's top-tier level Greek Basket League, with whom he won his first titles, the FIBA European League and the Greek Cup), Fortitudo Bologna (a professional team in Italy's top-tier level LBA), the San Antonio Spurs, and the Orlando Magic before he retired in 1999.

Don Nelson

Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940), sometimes known as Nellie, is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA) player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors. After an All-American career at the University of Iowa, Nelson won five NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics and had his number 19 retired by the franchise.
An innovator, Nelson is credited with, among other things, pioneering the concept of the point forward, a tactic which is frequently employed by teams at every level today. His unique brand of basketball is often referred to as Nellie Ball. He was named one of the Top 10 coaches in NBA history. On April 7, 2010, he passed Lenny Wilkens for first place on the all-time NBA wins list with his 1,333rd win. His all-time record coaching record was 1,335–1,063 (.557). Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Jae Crowder

Corey Jae Crowder (born July 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of former NBA player Corey Crowder.
Crowder committed to South Georgia Technical College and later Howard College, where he led the team to an NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in his sophomore season. While at Howard College, Crowder was also named State Farm Junior College Player of the Year. Later, he transferred to Marquette, where he was named Big East Player of the Year in his senior season. After his senior year ended, he became eligible for the 2012 NBA draft, where he was drafted 34th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers and traded to the Mavericks on draft night. In 2014, Crowder was traded to the Boston Celtics. He spent three years in Boston before being traded back to his draft team, the Cavaliers, in August 2017. In February 2018, he was traded to the Utah Jazz.

Marcus Morris

Marcus Thomas Morris Sr. (born September 2, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) forward played college basketball at Kansas before being drafted 14th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2011 NBA draft. He has also played for the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics.

Jeff Green

Jeffrey Lynn Green (born August 28, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played three seasons of college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas, before entering the 2007 NBA draft, where he was selected fifth overall by the Boston Celtics. He was subsequently traded to the Seattle SuperSonics (now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder). He spent 3½ seasons with the franchise before being traded back to the Celtics in February 2011, where he played until 2015 before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. In 2016, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He spent half a season with the Clippers before joining the Orlando Magic following the 2015–16 season. Green later joined the Cleveland Cavaliers and then the Washington Wizards.

Ron Mercer

Ronald Eugene Mercer (born May 18, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. After his career at the University of Kentucky, Mercer played for several teams in the National Basketball Association; he ended his career with the New Jersey Nets in 2005.

Frank Ramsey

Frank Vernon Ramsey Jr. (July 13, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American professional basketball player and coach. A 6-5 forward/guard, he played his entire nine-year (1954–1964) NBA career with the Boston Celtics and played a major role in the early part of their dynasty, winning seven championships as part of the team. Ramsey was also a head coach for the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA during the 1970–1971 season. Ramsey was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Rick Fox

Ulrich Alexander Fox (born July 24, 1969) is a Canadian-Bahamian retired basketball player, actor, businessman, and esports franchise owner. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He is the owner of the esports franchise Echo Fox.

Bailey Howell

Bailey E. Howell (born January 20, 1937) is an American former professional basketball player. After playing college basketball at Mississippi State, Howell played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Howell was a 6-time NBA All-Star, 2-time NBA Champion and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.

Xavier McDaniel

Xavier Maurice McDaniel (born June 4, 1963), nicknamed the X-Man, is an American retired professional basketball player who, at 6 ft 7 in, played both small forward and power forward.

M. L. Carr

Michael Leon Carr (born January 9, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA), and former head coach and General Manager of the Boston Celtics.  He coached the Celtics for two seasons, posting a career record of 48 wins and 116 losses.

Ryan Gomes

Ryan Anthony Gomes (born September 1, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach for the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League. He was named a First Team All-American power forward at Providence College before being selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.

Evan Turner

Evan Marcel Turner (born October 27, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2010 NBA draft and played for them until he was traded in February 2014 to the Indiana Pacers. Turner plays the point guard, shooting guard and small forward positions.
Turner was a first-team 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American and the 2010 National Player of the Year while playing at Ohio State University. Turner was also a two-time Big Ten Conference scoring champion and the 2010 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He was twice the only player named as a unanimous first-team selection by both the coaches and the media to the All-Big Ten team (2008–09, 2009–10). By finishing first in scoring and second in both rebounds and assists in the conference in the 2009–10 season, he was the first men's basketball player to finish in the top two in each of these categories and the first to finish in the top five in each category in the same season. He is the conference record-holder for most career and single-season record for Conference Player of the Week awards.
Turner attended St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois. By his senior season, he was one of the top high school basketball players at his position in the nation. As a true freshman, he helped lead the Buckeyes to the 2008 National Invitation Tournament championship. The following year, he was the Big Ten Conference scoring champion for the 2008–09 season and was a first-team 2009 All-Big Ten selection. That season, he was also an honorable mention All-American and was selected as a member of the 2009 All-Big Ten Conference Tournament team, and he became one of five Big Ten players to have been among the top ten in the conference in average points, rebounds, and assists in the same season. He is the conference record-holder for most career Player of the Week awards and despite missing over a month of his junior season for the 2009–10 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team he also set the single-season record for Player of the Week awards. As a pro, he has participated in the Rising Stars Challenge and helped the 76ers reach the NBA playoffs in his first two NBA seasons. During his third season he became an everyday starter. With an impending free agent status, he was traded to Indiana during his fourth season.

Len Bias

Leonard Kevin Bias (November 18, 1963 – June 19, 1986) was a first-team All-American college basketball forward at the University of Maryland. Two days after being selected by the Boston Celtics as the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft, Bias died from cardiac arrhythmia induced by a cocaine overdose.

Kevin Gamble

Kevin Douglas Gamble (born November 13, 1965) is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. At 6'5" (1.96 m) he played as both a shooting guard and small forward.

Billy Knight

William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Playing with the Indiana Pacers in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later the National Basketball Association (NBA), he was both an ABA and NBA All-Star. He played college basketball with the Pittsburgh Panthers, who retired his No. 34.
In college, Knight was a consensus second-team All-American in 1974. He began his pro career with Indiana, earning ABA All-Rookie First Team honors in 1975. He continued with the Pacers in the NBA, and he also played in the league for the Buffalo Braves, Boston Celtics, Kansas City Kings and San Antonio Spurs. Knight finished his playing career with a season in France. He became an executive with the Pacers and the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies.  He last served as the executive vice president and general manager of the Atlanta Hawks from 2003 to 2008.

Ricky Davis

Tyree Ricardo Davis (born September 23, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for University of Iowa.

George Kaftan

George A. Kaftan (February 22, 1928 – October 6, 2018) was an American professional basketball player.
George grew up in New York City and went to Xavier High School in Manhattan before going to Holy Cross for college. Though just 6'3", Kaftan was the starting center for the College of the Holy Cross team that won the 1947 NCAA Basketball Tournament. In 1947 Kaftan also won Most Outstanding Player honors after averaging 21 points per game in three games.Kaftan was selected in the second round of the 1949 BAA Draft. Kaftan later played professionally for the Boston Celtics (1949–1950), New York Knicks (1950–1952) and Baltimore Bullets (1952–1953). He averaged 7.5 points per game in his professional career.Kaftan is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

Big fan of Boston basketball? Then check out this list of Boston Celtics small forwards with photos and seasons played with the team.&nbsp;It includes almost ...