John Havlicek

Havlicek was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio, where his parents ran a general store. He was of Czech and Croatian descent, from his father and mother respectively. Havlicek was a three-sport athlete at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio, where he was a boyhood friend of Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. During his senior year of high school Havlicek earned All-Ohio honors in all three sports. As for his basketball stats, he scored 1,594 career points in 59 games along with averaging 30+ points per game his junior and senior seasons. Additionally, he scored a school record 53 points in a 103-101 overtime win over Cadiz as a junior. He also played in the Ohio North-South All-Star game with Jerry Lucas. As for the other sports he participated in, Havlicek was quarterback and captain of the football team for all four years, and hit .444 and .484 in his junior and senior seasons of baseball. ==Collegiate career==

Havlicek played college basketball at Ohio State University with future seven-time NBA All-Star Jerry Lucas (who was his roommate), future first-round NBA draft pick Larry Siegfried, future coaching legend Bobby Knight, and Mel Nowell, among many others. He also played football under Woody Hayes during his freshman year before deciding to focus solely on basketball. During his sophomore year the 1960 Ohio State Buckeyes, coached by head coach Fred Taylor and assistant coaches Jack Graf and Frank Truitt, won the 1960 NCAA title. That year Havlicek appeared in 28 games scoring 12.2 ppg. Havlicek was named as an alternate of the 1960 United States national team that competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics. Havlicek went on to average 14.5 ppg his junior year and 17.0 ppg his senior year earning All-Big Ten honors both years and was named an All-American his senior yeat. During his time at Ohio State, Havlicek was primarily known for his defensive ability, however he still managed to score 1,223 points during his three year tenure. During this period the Buckeyes won 78 of 84 games and captured the Big Ten championship all three years. ==Professional career==

Boston Celtics (1960s) Havlicek was drafted by the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League (ABL), and the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) in 1962. However, after the Pipers failed in their bid to join the NBA (partially due to Havlicek competing briefly as a wide receiver in the Browns' training camp), Havlicek became a full-time Celtic. A swingman who could play either guard or forward, he was known for his stamina, with competitors stating that it was a challenge just to keep up with him. Nicknamed "Hondo" (a nickname inspired by the 1953 movie of the same name starring John Wayne), During his rookie year in the 1962–63 season he played all 80 games coming off the bench and made an immediate impact averaging 14.3 PPG, 2.2 APG and 6.7 RPG. His play resulted in him being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. During the postseason Havlicek appeared in 11 of the Celtics 13 playoff games and averaged 11.5 PPG as he and the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 to win the 1963 NBA Finals. The following year during the 1963-64 season Havlicek once again appeared in all 80 games. His scoring increased as he averaged nearly 20.0 PPG. This resulted in his first All-NBA Second Team selection. He also scored a regular season best 43 points during a game vs. the Baltimore Bullets on December 17, 1963. Entering his third year in the 1964-65 season Havlicek missed multiple games for the first time, but still appeared in 75 of the 80 games for the Celtics that year. His numbers slightly decreased and he averaged 18.3 PPG, just under 5 rebounds, and 3 assists a game. Announcer Johnny Most's call of "Havlicek stole the ball!" was dubbed by the NBA as "the most famous radio call in basketball history." He and the Celtics would go on to defeat the Lakers 4-1 in the 1965 NBA Finals, securing Havlicek's third straight title. The 1965–66 season saw Havlicek appear in 71 games for the Celtics, averaging 18.8 PPG, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists a game. During the offseason Havlicek signed a one year contract extension with the Celtics worth $32,000. In the 1966-67 season Havlicek appeared in all 81 games and averaged 20+ PPG for the first time along with 6.6 RPG and 3.4 APG. He was selected to his second NBA All Star Game. Throughout the year his playing time increased even more as he began playing 35 minutes a game scoring 20.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 4.7 APG. He added a strong performance in game seven, recording 21 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists in a 100–96 road win against the 76ers. In that series, the Celtics became the first NBA team to overcome a 3–1 playoff series deficit. They went on to defeat the Lakers 4-2 in the Finals marking Havlicek's fifth championship win. Havlicek played in all 82 games for a second straight year in 1968–69. Playing 38 minutes a game, Havlicek average 21.6 PPG, 7 RPG, and 5.4 APG. Havlicek once again received multiple honors including his fourth consecutive NBA All Star selection, his fourth All-NBA Second Team, and his prowess on the defensive side of the ball was rewarded for the first time with an NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection. The team won NBA championships in six of his first seven NBA seasons. 1970s Havlicek became a full-time starter in the 1969–1970 season following the retirement of many of the Celtics prominent players such as Bill Russell, Sam Jones and K.C. Jones. That year his old teammate Tom Heinsohn became the Celtics new head coach. Heinsohn named Havlicek the Celtics' captain in 1969, a role he would hold until 1978. As many of the Celtics stars from the 1960s retired Havlicek "stood as the bridge from the Bill Russell era to the Celtics' next championship team". From here Havlicek became the Celtics star player and began playing 40+ minutes a game. During that year Havlicek played in 81 games averaging 24.2 PPG 7.8 RPG and 6.8 APG he also had a career best .464 FG%. Havlicek also led the league in triple doubles with 8. He earned his 5th All-Star game and All-NBA Second Team selections along with his second NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection. Despite his tremendous play throughout the regular season, he and the Celtics missed the playoffs for the first time since 1950. The following year in the 1970-71 season saw Havlicek play in 81 games, leading the league in minutes played with 45.4 minutes a game. This year also saw Havlicek record career highs in scoring, rebounding, and assists, with 28.9 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 7.5 APG. During the year Havlicek set the Celtics single season record for scoring (2338 points), field goal attempts (1982 shots), and minutes per game (45.4). For his efforts Havlicek finally earned his first All-NBA First Team selection, his sixth All-Star Game, and his third and final NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection. However despite having a winning record, the Celtics missed the playoffs for a second straight year. During the season Havlicek played in 80 games and still played 40+ minutes a game while his numbers went down slightly. He still averaged 23.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 6.6 APG. However, they were then upset in seven games by the Knicks in the conference finals after Havlicek suffered a severe right shoulder injury (torn trapezius muscle) in Game 3 of the series caused by a collision with Dave DeBusschere. During the postseason Havlicek averaged 23 PPG. Following a heartbreaking end to the previous season, Havlicek made a full recovery and he the Celtics bounced back in 1973-74. He appeared in 76 of the 82 regular season games playing 40.7 minutes a game, scoring 22.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 5.9 APG. He also put up career highs with 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. Coming off his seventh championship the year prior Havlicek went on to play all 82 games during the 1974–75 season marking the seventh time he appeared in every regular season game. He played 38.2 minutes per game that year, the first time since the 1970 that he had averaged under 40 minutes a game. The Celtics went on to win the sixth game and Havlicek's eighth and final championship. In 1976–77 Havlicek played in 79 games averaging 17.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 5.1 APG. He was selected to his 12th straight All-Star game. He and the Celtics were defeated in the second round by Philadelphia in 7 games. == Legacy ==

"'On stamina alone, he'd be among the top players who ever played the game" longtime New York Knicks coach Red Holzman once said of John "Hondo" Havlicek. "It would've been fair to those who had to play him or those who had to coach against him if he had been blessed only with his inhuman endurance. God had to compound it by making him a good scorer, smart ballhandler and intelligent defensive player with quickness of mind, hands and feet". At the time, Havlicek was the NBA career leader in games played (a mark surpassed in 1984 by Elvin Hayes) and was in third place on the list of all-time NBA leaders in points scored. Longtime Celtics teammate Bill Russell once described Havlicek as "'the best all-around ballplayer [he] ever saw'". At the time of his death, Havlicek was the Celtics' all-time leading scorer with 26,395 points (20.8 points per game). He was also the first player to score 1,000 points in 16 consecutive seasons, with his best scoring season coming during the 1970–71 season, when he averaged 28.9 points per game. Havlicek finished his 16-year career with eight NBA championships. Havlicek won all eight NBA Finals in which he participated. In 1980, Havlicek was selected as one of the league's greatest players ever, being named to the NBA 35th Anniversary Team. In 1984, Havlicek became a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also named the 14th best player of all time in Bill Simmons's Book of Basketball. In October 2021, Havlicek was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. To commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary, The Athletic published their own list of the top 75 players of all time, ranking Havlicek as the 29th-greatest player in NBA history. In 2007, Bridgeport High School in his hometown renamed their gymnasium "John J. Havlicek Gymnasium". Fellow NBA Hall of Famer Chris Mullin wore number 17 as a tribute to Havlicek. In October 2022, Havlicek was inaugurated into the Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame. In December 2022, the NBA named the newly redesigned trophy presented to the NBA Sixth Man of the Year the "John Havlicek Trophy" in his honor. In addition to his on-court success, Havlicek was known for his character and for his commitment to placing the team ahead of his own individual achievements. Longtime Celtics coach Red Auerbach once said, "'If I ever had a son, I would want him to be like John Havlicek'". ==Post-playing career==

Havlicek was shrewd with his money during his playing career, and he invested much of this income in the Wendy's fast food chain during its formative years. The success of his investments left Havlicek with a comfortable income after retirement and he never had to work for a conventional salary again. He had no desire to coach; instead, he served as a corporate speaker and served as a substitute color commentator during Celtics games from 1983-1989. Havlicek was a member of the board of the Genesis Foundation, which assists children with disabilities and genetic disorders. He and his wife Beth held the John Havlicek Celebrity Fishing Tournament for more than three decades, with proceeds going to the foundation. ==Personal life==

with and Bob Knight Havlicek met his wife, Beth, while both were attending Ohio State University. The couple married in 1967. They had two children: a son named Chris and a daughter named Jill. Jill Havlicek married former Major League Baseball outfielder and coach Brian Buchanan. He had 7 grandchildren. During his retirement Havlicek spent his free time being an avid outdoorsmen splitting his time between Massachusetts and Florida, where he enjoyed fishing and playing golf. Havlicek had Parkinson's disease during his later years. He died on April 25, 2019, in Jupiter, Florida at the age of 79. Following his death, Boston City Hall was lit in green in his memory. ==NBA career statistics==

Regular season Playoffs == Career highlights and awards ==

following the Celtics 1963 championship victory NBA • NBA champion: 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976 • NBA Finals MVP: 1974 • NBA All-Star: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 • All-NBA First Team: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 • All-NBA Second Team: 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1976 • NBA All-Defensive First Team: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 • NBA All-Defensive Second Team: 1969, 1970, 1971 • NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1963 • NBA anniversary team 35th, 50th, 75th • No. 17 retired by Boston Celtics on October 13, 1978 • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: 1984 College • NCAA champion: 1960 • Consensus second-team All-American: 1962 • Third-team All-American AP: 1961 • First-team All-Big Ten: 1961, 1962 • Ohio State Buckeyes Athletic Hall of Fame: 1977 • No. 5 retired by Ohio State Buckeyes on February 27, 2005 • National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame: Other honors • Recipient of the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1974 • National High School Hall of Fame: 1987 • Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame: 2006 • Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame: 2022 • Lou Holtz Hall of Fame Honoree Boston Celtics records Career • Points: 26395 • Games played: 1270 • Minutes played: 46471 • Field goals: 10513 • Two point field goals: 10513 Season • Minutes played: 3698 (1971-72) • Two point field goals: 897 (1971-71) • Minutes per game: 45.4 (1970-71) • Points: 2338 (1970-71) • Two point field goals per game: 11.0 (1970-71) • Field goal attempts per game: 24.5 (1970-71) • Most points in a postseason game: (54) game one of the conference semifinals in 1973 ==See also==