Posted on 04/26/2019 8:13:41 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Boston Celtics announced Thursday night that John Havlicek, one of the greatest players in the history of one of the sport's most decorated franchises, died at 79.
Havlicek played all of his 16 NBA seasons with the Celtics, winning eight championships, including one in each of the first four seasons of his career. Only two players -- Celtics teammates Bill Russell (11) and Sam Jones (10) -- have won more championships in NBA history.
Havlicek had been suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Russell took to Twitter late Thursday to salute Havlicek, calling him "not just a teammate and a great guy, but he was family."
Former teammate Paul Silas expressed his fondness for Havlicek, whom he played with from 1972 to 1976.
"I loved the man. I won two championships with him," Silas told ESPN. "When I first got to Boston, we talked all the time. All I wanted him to do was shoot. And when he didn't, I'd go right at him. He really was one of the greatest shooters I ever saw. When we needed a big basket, he was always the guy we wanted to take the shot.''
The Celtics called Havlicek "the face of many of the franchise's signature moments."
"His defining traits as a player were his relentless hustle and wholehearted commitment to team over self," a team statement read. "He was extraordinarily thoughtful and generous, both on a personal level and for those in need, as illustrated by his commitment to raising money for The Genesis Foundation for Children for over three decades through his fishing tournament.
"John was kind and considerate, humble and gracious. He was a champion in every sense, and as we join his family, friends and fans in mourning his loss, we are thankful for all the joy and inspiration he brought to us."
The Celtics will wear a black stripe with the No. 17 on it to honor Havlicek on their jerseys. The team also plans to wear a special Havlicek-themed shooting shirt for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal against the Bucks when the series moves to Boston.
The Celtics took Havlicek with the seventh pick in the 1962 NBA draft out of Ohio State, where he had won an NCAA title in 1960. He was named the 1974 NBA Finals MVP, was a 13-time NBA All-Star (one of nine players in NBA history to be an All-Star in 13 straight seasons) and made 11 All-NBA teams and eight All-Defensive teams.
Havlicek was one of 10 players in NBA history to make at least eight All-NBA teams and eight All-Defensive teams. The other nine are Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Kevin Garnett, Gary Payton and Chris Paul.
"The thing with John, he competed against you at the highest level, and he wanted to win badly," Hall of Famer Jerry West told ESPN. "But he was always a really nice person. I don't think that I ever heard anyone say a bad word about John. He was pleasant off the court and pleasant on it. But he really, really competed against you."
Havlicek remains Boston's franchise leader in games played, points and field goals made, is second in assists and is fifth in rebounds. He ranks fourth -- behind Dirk Nowitzki, Bryant and Duncan -- in points scored by a player who spent his entire career with one NBA franchise.
"Everybody says nice things about you when you die. I wish they said them to John when he was alive. John was always overlooked. They never talked enough about him," former teammate Dave Cowens said. "I used to ask people, 'Why don't you talk about John Havlicek?' It was always Magic [Johnson] and Jerry West and Dr. J, but John belonged in those conversations."
Cedric Maxwell, who played his rookie season with the Celtics in Havlicek's final year in the NBA, remembered him as a great teammate.
"We had lost a couple of games, and [coach] Tommy Heinsohn was trying to shake things up, so he inserted me in the starting lineup in place of John," Maxwell told ESPN. "I scored something like 21 points against Buffalo in Boston, and we won the game. The first person that came to congratulate me after the game was John. There was no animosity. It was 'Rook, nice game, way to play.'"
Havlicek was known for his endless energy on the court. He led the NBA in minutes played in both the 1970-71 and 1971-72 seasons.
"The dude ran all day. Never stopped," Maxwell said. "He wouldn't take long strides -- they were little, choppy steps -- but he was gone. When people used to say, 'You cannot hit a moving target,' that made me think of John."
Havlicek also made one of the most iconic plays in NBA history.
After Russell committed a turnover with five seconds left in Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference finals, the Philadelphia 76ers had a chance to inbound the ball and win the game. But Havlicek anticipated Hal Greer's pass to Chet Walker and stole it, then got it to Jones to run out the clock and preserve the victory. The Celtics went on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers to win that season's NBA championship.
The play became immortalized by Celtics radio announcer Johnny Most's legendary call: "Havlicek stole the ball!" It remains one of the most well-known calls of a play in the history of the sport.
"Greer putting the ball in play," Most said. "He gets it out deep, and Havlicek steals it! Over to Sam Jones! Havlicek stole the ball! It's all over!"
ESPN's Jackie MacMullan and Adrian Wojnarowski contributed to this report.
One of the greats
Playoffs. Celtics down by two. One second left. Havlicek is inbounding the ball from near half court. Two hand overhand pass. Ball goes right at the rim. Russell is waiting in mid air. Grabs the pass and dunks while in the air. Celtics win in overtime.
Havlicek was like an iron man who was not only good at basketball but could compete in track and marathon as well.
He was the one I least expected to die first among his championship Celtics team.
I went to church with Bailey Howell for five years. Even played in a pickup basketball game with him once well after he retired.
Great childhood memories watching Havlicek on TV, when he was the older star of the Celtics, along with the younger Dave Cowens.
He was the last link to the classic Bill Russell/Red Auerbach era to still be out on the court and creating magic in the 1970’s. Sort of like Paul McCartney being the only ex-Beatle who still had the energy and ambition to want to please crowds and grow as an artist.
Growing up in South Florida, where the Dolphins were the only legitimate pro sports team, watching Havlicek’s Celtics playing at the old Boston Garden seemed so Old World to me. I loved the Knicks/Bullets rivalry of that era (big Bullets fan at the time), but Havlicek and the Celtics were like High Priests.
Prayers to his family...Hondo, you will be remembered...Great player...
One amazing athelete.
IIRC, he had a resting heartbeat in the low 40s.
They used to say that he never broke a sweat, but I think that may have been an exageration.
Loved this guy. Got his autograph in the old Garden in the 70s when I was a boy.
He was just a step behind Larry Bird in talent which means he was outstandingly good. Google that crazy triple overtime game against the Suns & watch him play!
OMGosh, those guys were Kryptonite for my Lakers.
When the Lakers FINALLY beat the Celtics in the finals in ‘85, I called my dad from Arizona and said, “Well I guess Red Auerbach won’t be lighting up his cigar this year.”
Dad said, “I’m having one for him.”
Part of that great Ohio State team of Havlicek, Jerry Lucas Larry Siegrfred and Bobby Knight.
My dad, who loved all things athletic, called Havlicek the greatest shooter the game ever produced. Said John’s eye and touch were gifts from God.
I looked up John’s hometown, Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, and that little town has produced some prize athletes and other notables.
Must have been something in the water.
• Alex Groza – gold medalist in 1948 Summer Olympics and star basketball player, brother of Lou
• Lou Groza (AKA “The Toe”) – Pro Football Hall of Fame kicker and offensive lineman with Cleveland Browns and Ohio State Buckeyes, brother of Alex
• John Havlicek – Hall of Fame basketball great for Ohio State and Boston Celtics; member of OSU’s 1960 championship team and Boston Celtics 1960s NBA championship dynasty
• Cecil Hobbs - scholar of Southeast Asian history
• William Dean Howells – realist author
• Johnny Lipon - Major League Baseball infielder and Cleveland Indians manager
• Joe Niekro - Major League Baseball pitcher from 1967–1988 for seven different teams, primarily the Houston Astros
• Phil Niekro - Major League Baseball pitcher inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997; both Niekro brothers grew up in Martins Ferry
• Tim Spencer – former football player for the NFL and USFL; running backs coach of Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• James Wright – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and author
RIP.
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