Tag: Artis Gilmore

How many Boston Celtics are in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame?

No team in NBA history has produced more. How many can you name?

With Boston Celtics Hall of Fame Paul Pierce officially part of the incoming 2021 class and big man Kevin Garnett getting his formal induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in May 2021 — nearly a year after getting the nod due to the pandemic — all three members of the so-called “new Big Three” of KG, Pierce and Ray Allen have been ensconced in what serves as the Valhalla of basketball.

But they are far from the only Celtics so honored. In fact, there is a veritable host of Boston legends populating the Hoop Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, just a short drive away from the NBA’s titletown. The Celtics have more players than any other team in league history.

Let’s take a look at the 40 Celtics who have been honored with a Hall of Fame induction.

Complete list of Boston Celtics in the Basketball Hall of Fame

Celtics Wire celebrates the 48 members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame with ties to the Boston Celtics franchise.

The Boston Celtics are one of the bedrock franchises in professional sports. Legends such as Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Tommy Heinsohn, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett dazzled fans with their athletic exploits and won the NBA championship in Boston.

A couple of hours down the Mass Pike in Springfield, no fewer than four dozen players, coaches, and contributors with ties to the Celtics franchise have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame over the years, spanning the decades from the first years of the storied ball club’s existence up to the team’s last era of contention.

Below, Celtics Wire celebrates the 49 members of the Hall of Fame with Celtics connections in a photo gallery.

On this day: former Boston Celtics center Artis Gilmore born, Bob Donham passes, Ime Udoka scandal breaks

On this date in 1949, Artis Gilmore was born, Bob Donham left us, and the Udoka scandal came to light.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston Celtics big man Artis Gilmore was born in the small southern town of Chipley, Florida in 1949.

Gilmore led Jacksonville University to the NCAA title game against the University of California Los Angeles in 1970. He began his professional career in the American Basketball Association with the Kentucky Colonels. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the first pick of the ABA dispersal draft in 1976, which was held after the ABA’s merger with the NBA spelled the end of multiple teams.

The Colonels were one of them.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 53

This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 53 jersey for at least one game as of Aug. 2023.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the four players who wore No. 53 over the years as of Aug. 2023.

Seven Boston Celtics make HoopsHype’s 20 greatest centers list

Some of the greatest players to play the game have suited up for Boston at the 5 over the course of the organization’s storied history.

Perhaps the most impactful position in the history of the Boston Celtics, centers have been instrumental in winning most of the team’s NBA-record 17 banners. Some of the greatest to play the game have suited up for the Celtics at the 5 over the course of the organization’s storied past.

Scholars of the team’s history are already aware of the names mentioned in the latest edition of HoopsHype’s 20 greatest centers list. A number of the all-time great Boston big men made the cut for H/H’s list.

Let’s dive into which former Celtics made the list.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 53

This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 53 jersey for at least one game as of October 2022.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the four players who wore No. 53 over the years.

HoopsHype updates their top 75 all-time NBA player list for 2022, dropping several Boston Celtics

We might be biased, but we’re not too crazy about the update.

While some NBA media outlets are dialed into the 2022-23 NBA season for their annual exercise to fill the late September content desert that is ranking season, our sister site HoopsHype has its eyes on a bigger prize.

Drawing on the popular all-time NBA list released adjacent to the NBA’s version put together for the league’s 75th anniversary, HoopsHype has gone a step further and updated the list again for 2022. There’s quite a bit of change (including the absence of many Boston Celtics who made the last list), and to be frank, we are not fans of an all-time list that would see so much turnover a mere 365 days later.

Take a look for yourselves at the various Celtics greats who were omitted and where those who remain are ranked now, and let us know why we are wrong if you feel so compelled.

On this day: former Boston Celtics center Artis Gilmore born, Bob Donham passes

On this date in 1949, former Boston big man Artis Gilmore was born, and Bob Donham left us.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston Celtics big man Artis Gilmore was born in the small southern town of Chipley, Florida in 1949.

Gilmore led Jacksonville University to the NCAA title game against the University of California Los Angeles in 1970. He began his professional career in the American Basketball Association with the Kentucky Colonels. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the first pick of the ABA dispersal draft in 1976, which was held after the ABA’s merger with the NBA spelled the end of multiple teams. The Colonels were one of them.

ESPN says Larry Bird, Julius Erving, …

ESPN says Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Artis Gilmore, World B. Free, Robert Parish, Jim Gray, Luke Walton, Jamal Wilkes, Brent Musberger, and Bob Ryan have all been interview subjects for the story. The documentary will be directed by Steve James, who also directed Hoop Dreams, as well as Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. No release date was revealed by ESPN.

Which Boston Celtics centers populate HoopsHype’s estimate of the best to play the game at the 5?

The Celtics check in with seven alumni among HoopsHype’s recent list of the 20 greatest centers in NBA history.

The center position may have lost some of its luster in the NBA of today, with it often being seen as perhaps the most replaceable position after decades of the five being among or even the most important position in the sport.

And with a team as storied as the Boston Celtics are, you have to think that any list of the sport’s top centers in league history has to be peppered with quite a few Celtics alumni. Such an assessment would be a solid one, given a recent such list published by our sister site HoopsHype to highlight the 20 greatest centers of all time was populated by seven former Boston big men.

Let’s take a look at the players so honored.