Tommy Heinsohn

It’s safe to say that the Celtics wouldn’t be the same without one of their most prominent former players and beloved coach, Tommy Heinsohn. Heinsohn was a former professional basketball player back in 1956 for the Boston Celtics, a team for whom he played a lengthy 9 years. After his career on-court, his love for the sport would give him the opportunity to coach for the same team from 1969 to 1978.

To put into perspective just how instrumental Heinsohn was for the Celtics, he was nicknamed “Mr. Celtic” at one point for his loyalty to the team. Unfortunately, Heinsohn ran out of gas in his lengthy 86 years of existence. As a player, he was able to bag eight NBA Championship Titles, six NBA-All-Star titles, and NBA Rookie of the Year in 1957. Don’t even begin with his long list of achievements as a coach. Throughout his life, Heinsohn truly lived out the Celtics motto: ubuntu.