Free Republic

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...

BOSTON -- “Havlicek stole the ball! Havlicek stole the ball! It’s all over!” One of the most iconic moments in Boston Celtics lore, no one will ever forget the call in the 1965 NBA Eastern Conference Finals made by announcer Johnny Most or the player who made a play for the ages, John Havlicek. Havlicek, the Celtics’ all-time leading scorer (26,395 points) and one of the most decorated players to ever don a Celtics uniform, passed away on Thursday. He was 79. The Celtics released the following statement upon announcing Havlicek's passing: John Havlicek is one of the most accomplished...