Tag: Kevin McHale

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.

Who are the Boston Celtics’ top-10 all-time leaders in playoff games played?

Can you name the top 10 players in franchise history in terms of games played in the postseason? Better yet, can you name their order?

With 17 titles to their name and over seven decades of history, it is inevitable that the Boston Celtics are among the most heavily represented teams in games played in the history of the NBA playoffs.

But who are the players who have played the most games for this storied franchise? Those 17 titles were won with the blood and sweat of an elite cadre of Celtics who spent more time than any others on the court to make those banners more than just a goal. The answers might surprise you, even if you consider yourself a keen follower of Celtics history — and how close some are to each other is another revelation.

Can you name the top 10 players in franchise history in terms of games played in the postseason? Scroll down, and see how you did.

The Boston Celtics have retired 24 jersey numbers – these are the players so honored

It’s no coincidence this team has the most retired jersey numbers with 17 banners hanging alongside them as of Oct. 2023.

There are no teams in the history of the NBA to have more titles than the Boston Celtics — at least not yet — so it makes sense there are no other franchises with more retired numbers to honor the players over the decades who earned and hung those banners.

In fact, there are no teams in any sport with more retired jersey numbers at 24 overall, a reflection of the excellence behind the Celtics mystique built by franchise architect Red Auerbach. From his signing with the team as coach and general manager onward, Boston became one of the premier teams of the greatest basketball league on the planet.

But who were the players for which those jerseys were retired? Let’s take a look at them all as of Oct. 2022.

How many Boston Celtics have been named 6th Man of the Year – and who were they?

Can you name the duo who first won the award for Boston three years running? Better yet — can you name the seasons?

When you scan the history of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, it would be easy to miss the brief era during which the Boston Celtics dominated the annual honor bestowed upon the player deemed to be the best player for his ball club coming off the bench as a substitute for a starter.

It was a short epoch, spanning three consecutive years in which two Boston frontcourt players earned the honor, followed by a fourth, more recent player on Boston’s roster taking home the hardware. If the award had been around before the 1982-83 NBA season, the Celtics might have had more winners given the team-oriented style of play and depth that carried them throughout the 1960s.

But four awards in franchise history is still a solid record. Can you name the duo who first won the honor for Boston and the seasons in which they did it?

Who are the top 10 Boston Celtics draft picks of all time?

The Boston Celtics have had a wealth of riches as far as the NBA draft is concerned.

The Boston Celtics have had a wealth of riches as far as the NBA draft is concerned, and it’s quite a challenge to try and rank the top 10 best draft picks ever made by the franchise. And given all the hardware pulled down over the years — as well as the long period of struggle between the late 1980s and late 2000s — trying to create a rubric that works in all eras is nearly as tough.

But that is our goal here, and at least in this assessment longevity with the team, individual contributions compared to teammates, and of course hardware will all be taken into consideration here.

So, let’s take a look at how they stack up over seven decades of history.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 32

Today’s installment focuses on the four players who wore No. 32 over the years as of August 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. 32 over the years as of August 2023.

Celtics legend Kevin McHale is unsurprised by the James Harden-Daryl Morey standoff

“So (Harden) was really mad, saying Daryl lied to him, but, you know, maybe they saw Game 7 against the Celtics,” said McHale.

Given how often James Harden has changed teams in recent years, it should not surprise anyone that he wants out of his current club, the Philadelphia 76ers. To Boston Celtics legend and former Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale, the situation is a bit of deja vu.

“I’ve been involved in a million meetings as a coach and GM, and, you know, players hear what they want to hear a lot of times. And Daryl (Morey)’s smart,” McHale said in an interview with Heavy’s Steve Bulpett. “My whole take on the thing is I think Daryl’s really hooked up with James, but I think ownership looked at it.”

“Let’s face it, if the owner looks at you and says, ‘We’re signing that dude,’ you’re signing that dude,” he added. “Story’s over. And if the owner looks at you and says, ‘We’re not signing that dude,’ you’re not signing him. James wanted a big extension from Philly, and Philly wouldn’t give it to him, and that’s not a Daryl decision.”

“Daryl’s got a part of that, of course, but that’s an owner decision,” continued the Celtic champion forward.

“So (Harden) was really mad, saying Daryl lied to him, but, you know, maybe they saw Game 7 against the Celtics (9 points on 3-for-11 shooting in a 24-point loss) and said, ‘I’m not interested in that.’”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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How would Celtics legends Larry Bird and Kevin McHale fare if they played in the NBA of today?

How would their skills would translate to the modern game?

Which great basketball players from the 1980s and 90s would lose or gain value if they played in today’s NBA? League legends like Alex English, Larry Bird, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Kevin McHale, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Patrick Ewing are just a few of the names that came up in a recent discussion of stars who might see their status rise or fall in the league of today on an episode of the Athletic’s “NBA Show”.

For fans of the Boston Celtics, a time machine for the two stars of the 1980s mentioned above was something of a mixed bag with regards to modern-day versions of Bird and McHale given how the style of play has shifted considerably for players at each of their respective positions.

To hear the discussion for yourself, check out the clip embedded below as the hosts get into how their skills would translate to the modern game.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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The story of Kevin McHale with the Boston Celtics minidocumentary

From his days at the University of Minnesota to his legendary tenure with the Celtics as part of the original Boston “Big Three,” McHale left an indelible mark on the sport.

From his dominant low-post game and leadership skills to his resilience and selfless approach, Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Kevin McHale’s story is an unforgettable tale of basketball excellence. From his days at the University of Minnesota to his legendary tenure with the Celtics as part of the original Boston “Big Three,” McHale left an indelible mark on the sport.

Witness the intensity of his performance in the NBA’s 1987 playoffs, during which McHale played through a fractured foot, showcasing his grit and determination to winning so intensely that it may have ended his career early. Despite such obstacles, McHale’s passion for the game and his leadership remained undiminished.

Join the hosts of the CLNS Media “NBA Storytellers” podcast as they celebrate the legacy of Kevin McHale, a true Celtics legend, in the video embedded below.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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On this day: McHale, Embry, Thompson inducted; Brown, Moore drafted

On this day, Kevin McHale, Wayne Embry, and John Thompson were inducted into the Hall of Fame, and Jaylen Brown and E’Twaun Moore were drafted.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, franchise legends Kevin McHale, Wayne Embry, and John Thompson were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. McHale had been drafted by the Celtics out of the University of Minnesota with the third overall pick of the 1980 NBA draft.

That deal for that pick, which Boston had acquired along with big man Robert Parish in exchange for the top overall pick of that draft, was widely considered to be one of the most lopsided deals in league history. McHale would have an immediate impact on the young core being built around forward phenomenon Larry Bird.

Along with Parish, forward Cedric Maxwell, point guard Dennis Johnson and shooting guard Danny Ainge, the Celtics would form a dynasty he would win three championships with in the 1980s.