John Havlicek
Born April 8, 1940 — Died April 25, 2019
John Havlicek was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire thirteen-season NBA career with the Boston Celtics, winning eight championships and becoming one of the most respected and beloved players in the history of the sport. Known as "Hondo," he was celebrated for his relentless energy, basketball intelligence, and extraordinary versatility.
Ohio Star and Multi-Sport Athlete
Born John Joseph Havlicek on April 8, 1940, in Martins Ferry, Ohio, he was a natural multi-sport athlete who excelled in football, basketball, and baseball at Bridgeport High School. Ohio State selected him as one of its premier basketball recruits, and the Buckeyes finished as NCAA runners-up in 1962 with a team that included Jerry Lucas and Larry Siegfried. Havlicek was also drafted as a wide receiver by the Cleveland Browns of the NFL following college — a rare dual-sport talent that illustrated the breadth of his athleticism.
He ultimately chose basketball and was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 1962 NBA Draft. He joined a dynasty — the Celtics had won four consecutive NBA titles — and added to it immediately. In his first six seasons in Boston, Havlicek won six championships. His role evolved from an extraordinarily effective sixth man (the best in basketball, many argue) to a starter and eventually a franchise cornerstone after the retirements of Bill Russell and Sam Jones.
Hondo and the Iconic Steal
Havlicek is perhaps most famous in basketball history for a single moment: the "Havlicek stole the ball!" play in Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals. With the Celtics leading the Philadelphia 76ers by one point and five seconds remaining, Havlicek intercepted an inbounds pass — the steal was described live by announcer Johnny Most in what became one of the most replayed calls in sports broadcasting history. The Celtics went on to win the NBA title that year.
He was named to 13 NBA All-Star Games, won eight NBA championships total, and was the lead scorer on the Celtics' final two championship teams in 1974 and 1976 after Bill Russell's retirement — proving that his greatness was not merely organizational. His career scoring total of 26,395 points ranked among the all-time NBA leaders at his retirement. Red Auerbach, the legendary Celtics coach and general manager, called Havlicek the greatest Celtics player of all time.
Did You Know?
Havlicek was renowned for his extraordinary endurance — his conditioning allowed him to play 40+ minutes per game across 16 seasons. He was reported to have an unusually efficient metabolism that burned fewer calories at rest, meaning his heart worked less hard during games than most players, giving him nearly unlimited stamina.
Legacy
Havlicek was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984, and the Celtics retired his jersey number 17. He was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and one of the 75 Greatest Players in the NBA's 75th anniversary team in 2021. He died on April 25, 2019, in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, at age 79, following a battle with Parkinson's disease. He was survived by his wife Beth, whom he had married in 1967, and two children. His death prompted an outpouring of tributes from current and former players who cited him as an inspiration for the art of all-around, unselfishly great basketball.