It seems logical that no other club has more retired numbers to honor the players who over the years have earned and hung those banners, since the Boston Celtics are the only team in NBA history to have won more titles than them, at least not yet.
With 24 retired jersey numbers altogether, no team in any sport actually has more, which speaks something about the quality of the Celtics’ mythology created by franchise creator Red Auerbach. After he joined the team as general manager and coach, Boston rose to prominence as one of the top teams in the world’s best basketball league.
However, which athletes were honored with retired jerseys? Let’s examine each one as of October 2022.
During his time with the Celtics, Loscutoff won seven titles with Boston and requested that his name be retired rather than his jersey.
Chief, as he is known, was an integral component of the final great Celtics era and served as the cornerstone of one of the best frontcourts in history before the team’s most recent championship, despite having only played for the team for three titles.
Lewis is recognized for a promise unfulfilled after his premature death from heart failure; by all accounts, his early accolades had him bound for greatness before his loss. Lewis is the only Celtic with a retired number who did not win a title.
Even though Pierce only had one championship with Boston, he guided the team through its “wilderness era” following the departure of Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, and Larry Bird, and hung Banner 17 alongside Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
Regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play for any club, Bird helped the Celtics win three titles during a decade that saw the Los Angeles Lakers dominate the sport. If his career hadn’t been cut short by a bad back, he might have had a chance to win even more.
The Minnesota native’s jersey ranks among the greats of the Celtics, having begun as the ultimate sixth man off the bench behind teammate Cedric Maxwell and ending as a three-time champion considered as one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
