John Joseph Havlicek lived a long and great life, and he was a Boston Celtics legend. His eight NBA championships are only fewer than teammates Bill Russell (11) and Sam Jones (10). The Ohio State University star was a two-time AP All-American and was a part of an NCAA championship team. In the 1965 Eastern Division Finals, everyone should know that “Havlicek stole the ball.”
John “Hondo” Havlicek stealing the ball was a part of a four-year championship run for Havlicek and the Celtics. Boston had also won the previous four titles, making it an unprecedented — and potentially unbreakable record of — eight NBA championships in a row. Early in Hondo’s career, he came off the bench and became one of the best sixth men in early NBA history. The remainder of Havlicek’s titles came in 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976. He went to eight NBA Finals and won them all.
As a Celtics legend and Buckeye legend, Hondo has both his No. 17 retired by the Boston Celtics and his No. 5 retired by the Ohio State Buckeyes. Hondo finished his career with 26,395 points and 6,114 assists with more than 10,000 shots made in his career. He also led the NBA with eight triple-doubles each in the 1969-70 and 1971-72 seasons.
Havlicek’s impressive career had many highs, and those began early in his basketball life. He excelled at many sports at Bridgeport High School, and he then was surrounded by great basketball talent at the Ohio State University.
John Havlicek – College Career with the Ohio State Buckeyes
John Havlicek was a significant part of the 1960 NCAA championship Ohio State Buckeyes. Hondo played with Larry Siegfried and Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas. He averaged 12.2 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per contest, and he was selected to the 1960 NCAA Tournament All-Region team. He made the Tournament All-Region region the following two seasons, which were his final two at Ohio State. Havlicek increased in point and rebound averages every year he had in college, and he would show off his skills in the NBA.
John Havlicek – Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics were already making NBA history when they selected John Havlicek in the 1962 NBA Draft, the same year that the Chicago Zephyrs took future Celtics’ great Don Nelson. He would go on to be the best player of the draft. Hondo made 13 All-Star Games, four All-NBA First Teams, seven All-NBA second Teams, five NBA All-Defensive First Teams, and three All-Defensive Second Teams. He would also be a part of the NBA 35th anniversary, 50th anniversary, and 75th-anniversary teams as well as, of course, eight NBA championship teams.
On draft day — March 26, 1962 — future Hall of Famer Dave DeBusschere, along with Hondo’s Ohio State teammate Jerry Lucas, were selected as territorial picks in the draft. The Zephyrs — now the Washington Wizards — and the New York Knicks made their picks. At No. 7, the Celtics were lucky that Hondo fell to them. They were delighted to draft Havlicek, who was also drafted by another team in a different sport.
John Havlicek – Hondo’s First Four Championships
It was the right choice because Hondo would become a Celtics legend. In his first three seasons, he was not an all-star, but he still made an impact on a Boston ballclub that could not be stopped. The last of those three seasons was 1964-65, which was an important year for everyone associated with the Celtics. Havlicek is a part of one of the most famous plays in NBA history when Hondo stole the ball. Before he made that iconic play, Havlicek made an impact as a rookie.
John Havlicek was a top-four scorer during the regular season and a top-five scorer during the playoffs for the 1963 champion Celtics. Then, Hondo led the Celtics with 19.9 points per game during the 1963-64 regular season. His minutes jumped to 32.3 per contest, as he played 80 games for the second consecutive season. Hondo’s legendary career continued into the postseason. After the C’s finished the Cinncinati Royals in five games in the Eastern Division Finals, they took on Wilt Chamberlain and the San Francisco Warriors in the NBA Finals.
In Game 1 of the 1964 Finals, Celtics legend John Havlicek had an impressive performance: he scored 28 points, which matched Sam Jones for the game-high. It was Hondo’s career-high for a postseason game at that point. Boston would end up defeating the Warriors, 4-1, to win its sixth consecutive championship. The Red Auerbach-led Celtics were back for more in 1965 and Havlicek cemented his legacy with one steal.
It was April 15, 1965 – Game 7 of the Eastern Divison Finals against Wilt Chamberlain’s new team, the Philadelphia 76ers. Johnny Most, the Celtics radio commentator, saw that Hondo was ready to defend the inbound pass.
The Celtics small forward played tremendous defense on Hal Greer’s inbound pass and all of a sudden, Most said: “Havlicek steals it. Over to Sam Jones. Havlicek stole the ball! It’s all over! It’s all over! Johnny Havlicek is being mobbed by the fans! It’s all over! Johnny Havlicek stole the ball!” Then after riding that high, Hondo and the Celtics went on to the NBA Finals and won the 1965 title against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 1966 Celtics were much of the same. They cruised through a 54-26 regular season with Sam Jones’ 23.5 points per game and Havlicek’s 18.8 points per contest. Bill Russell averaged 12.9 points and 22.8 rebounds. All three of these players boosted their numbers in the postseason, as the Celtics continued to play tremendous basketball at Boston Garden.
They gave the raucous Boston crowd more to cheer about with a Game 7 victory against the Lakers to win the championship. Russell, Jones, Havlicek, and Larry Siegfried all scored in double figures and outlasted Jerry West’s 36 points in the title-sealing win.
John Havlicek – Hondo’s Last Four Championships
In 1966-67, the Celtics changed head coaches, as Red Auerbach made more history with Bill Russell becoming the first black head coach in professional sports. Unfortunately, the 1967 playoffs finished with a 4-1 loss to the 76ers in the Eastern Division Finals. However, the Celtics bounced back to win two more championships in the final two years with Russell. Havlicek and the Celtics added two more rings in 1968 and 1969.
Then, Russell retired, which made it very difficult for the Celtics to continue their excellence. They lost arguably the best player at that time in NBA history. The new era of Celtics basketball was in the hands of John Havlicek, and there was a drop to sixth in the Eastern Division standings at 34-48. However, the Celtics added some pieces: Jo Jo White in 1969, Dave Cowens in 1970, and Paul Silas and Paul Westphal in 1972.
In 1971-72 and 1972-73, the Celtics led the Atlantic Divison with very strong regular seasons. However, they could not finish in the postseason, even after a franchise-best 68 wins during the 1972-73 regular season.
The Tommy Heinsohn-led Celtics were making noise in the playoffs and then won the 1973 Eastern Conference Semifinals in six games. Hondo had a career-high 54 points in Game 1 of that series, but the team then lost to the New York Knicks in seven games.
The 1973-74 Celtics were ready though. John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White, Paul Silas, Don Nelson, Don Chaney, and the Celtics played great basketball that season. Hondo was back at it, leading the team with 22.6 points per contest. After the strong 1972-73 season, the C’s took a small step back, but they still won 56 games in 1973-74. It was enough for the top spot in the division and another NBA championship, as Hondo won the 1974 Finals MVP with 26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in the series.
Just two years later, Havlicek and the Celtics were back in the Finals, and Hondo made it a perfect eight-for-eight in the NBA Finals. The six-game series against the Phoenix Suns went the way of the green. In winning the Finals, the Heinsohn-led Celtics had won the title yet again. Havlicek would play two more all-star seasons before retiring from the NBA. Havlicek remains the franchise’s leading point scorer in addition to being the team games leader and the Celtic with the most field goals made. He was a true Celtics legend.
John Havlicek – Retirement from Basketball
On October 13, 1978, the Celtics retired Havlicek’s No. 17. The franchise did it at the first opportunity it could get, as it was the first game of the 1977-78 regular season for Boston. Hondo would later have his No. 5 retired by the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2005 and be inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
John Havlicek – Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Induction
Hondo’s Hall of Fame induction occurred in 1984, just six years after he saw his number raised to the rafters at Boston Garden. It was sad when Havlicek died due to Parkinson’s disease in 2019. He will be remembered by his No. 17, which hangs in the rafters of TD Garden. The Ohio native will be celebrated forever in both his home state as well as in Massachusetts. Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, and John Havlicek are all synonymous with Boston Celtics basketball. Havlicek and his steal will be forever immortalized in Celtics history.
John Havlicek – Net Worth
John Havlicek is an NBA legend who played for the Boston Celtics throughout his career. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984 and has a current net worth estimated to be around $55 million. His impressive career saw him win 8 championships and be named an All-Star 13 times.
What was John Havlicek known for?
On April 15, 1965, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics were leading the Philadelphia 76ers 110-109 with five seconds left on the clock. Sixers guard Hal Greer was about to dribble up the court when Celtics forward John Havlicek tipped the ball away, giving Boston possession and the victory.
The play has since been memorialized by Johnny Most, the late Celtics radio announcer, whose call of “Havlicek stole the ball!” has become one of the most iconic moments in basketball history. While Havlicek is best remembered for that single play, he was a truly great player who helped lead the Celtics to eight NBA championships during his 16-year career. A member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history, Havlicek is considered one of the all-time greats.
Why is John Havlicek nickname Hondo?
John Havlicek was one of the most iconic players in NBA history, and his nickname of “Hondo” perfectly encapsulated his hard-nosed style of play. Havlicek grew up in Martins Ferry, Ohio, and was given the nickname by his childhood friends because he reminded them of John Wayne’s character in the movie Hondo. The name fit Havlicek perfectly, as he was known for his tenacious defense and ability to hit clutch shots.
Was John Havlicek drafted by the NFL?
Even though Havlicek did not play college football, the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League selected Hondo with the No. 95 overall selection in the 1962 NFL Draft. We are not talking about LeBron James, who is six feet and nine inches tall at a weight of 250 pounds and was rumored to be able to play the tight end position in the NFL.
We are talking about Hondo, who weighed 203 pounds and stood six feet and five inches tall. However, if you take a look at Havlicek, he was taller than Pro Bowler D.K. Metcalf and weighed more than 2021 rookie sensation receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Maybe Hondo could have been a decent NFL wide receiver. At Cleveland Browns training camp, Havlicek participated as a wide receiver, but then he decided to go with the NBA instead of the NFL. As a future Celtics legend.
