Latest news with #BillRussell
CBS News
26-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Where Jayson Tatum's fourth straight All NBA First-Team ranks in Celtics history
What happened to the Celtics against the Knicks, and what's next this offseason? What happened to the Celtics against the Knicks, and what's next this offseason? What happened to the Celtics against the Knicks, and what's next this offseason? Jayson Tatum was named to his fourth straight All-NBA First Team on Friday, yet another impressive accomplishment for the 27-year-old Boston Celtics star. Tatum was unanimous First Team selection, and is now just one of 24 NBA players to make the All-NBA First Team in four or more straight seasons. It's the longest streak for a Celtics player since Larry Bird earned All-NBA First Team honors in nine straight seasons from 1979-80 through 1987-88. Jayson Tatum's spot in Celtics history Making four All-NBA First Teams is a pretty big accomplishment, but Tatum has a long way to go to match other greats of Celtics lore. He's now the fifth Celtics player to earn at least four First Team nods, matching the totals of John Havlicek and Bill Sharman. But Tatum has a long way to go to match Bird (nine All-NBA First Teams) and Bob Cousy, who leads all Celtics players with 10 All NBA First-Team nods. Tatum is now up to five total All-NBA honors, along with his Third Team nod in 2019-20. It's the sixth-most All-NBAs by a Celtics player after Cousy's 12 All-NBA selections. Havlicek (four First Team, seven Second Team) and Bill Russell (three First team, eight Second Team) both earned 11 selections, while Bird secured 10 (nine First Team, one second team) and Bill Sharman had seven (four First Team, three Second Team) over his career. Jayson Tatum's 2024-25 season Tatum earned his First Team nod with an incredible 2024-25 season where he led the Celtics at 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He shot 45.2 percent from the floor and 34.3 percent from three-point range, as Tatum averaged more than 26 points per game for a fifth straight season. Unfortunately it doesn't look like he'll be adding a fifth straight First Team nod next summer, as the C's superstar will likely miss most of the year after rupturing his Achilles in Boston's second-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks. All-NBA First Team 2024-25 Along with Tatum, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander earned All-NBA First Team honors for the 2024-25 NBA season. Tatum was the only Celtics player to receive All-NBA honors this season. He also finished fourth in NBA MVP voting behind winner Gilgeous-Alexander and runner-ups Jokic and Antetokounmpo. Tatum received 11 third-place votes, 84 fourth-place votes, and four fifth-place votes in the MVP process.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
On this day: Larry Bird steals the ball; Bill Russell honored
On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary forward Larry Bird stole the ball and passed it to point guard Dennis Johnson for the winning layup in a wild, 107-106, Game 5 victory over the Detroit Pistons in the East Conference finals of the 1987 NBA playoffs. Detroit point guard Isiah Thomas had scored a late basket to put the Pistons up 106-105 with 17 seconds remaining. When Bird tried to respond with a layup on the next play, it was blocked. Detroit got the ball back, and the game seemed all but over with just five seconds remaining. Advertisement But, the Hick from French Lick picked off the inbounds pass and connected with Johnson for the win. Feb 16, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Boston Celtics former center Bill Russell in attendance during the 2013 NBA all star shooting stars competition at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports In 1999, a "Bill Russell Tribute" was held at the FleetCenter (today's TD Garden) to honor the Celtics legend's Hall of Fame career. Guests included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Tom Brokaw, Jim Brown, Bob Cousy, Wilt Chamberlain, Johnny Mathis, then-NBA commissioner David Stern and Bill Walton among many others. The event lasted more than two hours and even featured a videotaped greeting from then-President Bill Clinton. "The one thing I don't like about these (ceremonies) is they're so serious," said Russell via the Hartford Courant's Alan Greenberg. "When they introduce me, it sounds like my obituary. I'm not dead yet. But I know I'm getting old because I talk about what I've done, rather than what I'm going to do ... I don't compare myself to anyone, as far as who is the best player." Advertisement "All I do is put up the rings," he added. This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Bird steals ball; Russell honored
USA Today
26-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
On this day: Larry Bird steals the ball; Bill Russell honored
On this day: Larry Bird steals the ball; Bill Russell honored On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary forward Larry Bird stole the ball and passed it to point guard Dennis Johnson for the winning layup in a wild, 107-106, Game 5 victory over the Detroit Pistons in the East Conference finals of the 1987 NBA playoffs. Detroit point guard Isiah Thomas had scored a late basket to put the Pistons up 106-105 with 17 seconds remaining. When Bird tried to respond with a layup on the next play, it was blocked. Detroit got the ball back, and the game seemed all but over with just five seconds remaining. But, the Hick from French Lick picked off the inbounds pass and connected with Johnson for the win. In 1999, a "Bill Russell Tribute" was held at the FleetCenter (today's TD Garden) to honor the Celtics legend's Hall of Fame career. Guests included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Tom Brokaw, Jim Brown, Bob Cousy, Wilt Chamberlain, Johnny Mathis, then-NBA commissioner David Stern and Bill Walton among many others. The event lasted more than two hours and even featured a videotaped greeting from then-President Bill Clinton. "The one thing I don't like about these (ceremonies) is they're so serious," said Russell via the Hartford Courant's Alan Greenberg. "When they introduce me, it sounds like my obituary. I'm not dead yet. But I know I'm getting old because I talk about what I've done, rather than what I'm going to do ... I don't compare myself to anyone, as far as who is the best player." "All I do is put up the rings," he added.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 20 Phil Hankinson (1973-75)
The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- the league that would become today's NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. Advertisement With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover. Oct 18, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The number 6 is seen on the Boston Celtics jersey honoring Celtic great Bill Russell during the third quarter of the game between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports And for today's article, we will continue with the 11th of 31 people to wear the No. 20 jersey, Boston forward alum Phil Hankinson. After ending his college career at Penn, Hankinson was picked up with the 35th overall selection of the 1973 NBA draft by the Celtics. The Augusta, Georgia native would play the soul two seasons of his pro career with Boston, retiring from the league afterward. During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Hankinson wore only jersey No. 20 and put up 3.9 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference. This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics jersey history No. 20 Phil Hankinson (1973-75)
Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Jokic makes history with 5th consecutive top-2 finish in MVP voting
There was Bill Russell. There was Larry Bird. And now, there's Nikola Jokic. By finishing second in this year's MVP balloting behind only Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic — the Denver Nuggets star — became just the third player in NBA history with a top-two finish in five or more consecutive seasons. He won the award in 2021, 2023 and 2024, plus was second in 2022 and again this year. Russell and Bird, a pair of Boston Celtics greats, each were first or second in the balloting in six consecutive seasons. Russell won in 1958, 1961, 1962 and 1963, while finishing second in 1959 and 1960. Bird was second in 1981, 1982 and 1983 before winning in 1984, 1985 and 1986. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971-74) and Tim Duncan (2001-04) are the other players with four straight top-two finishes. Michael Jordan and LeBron James each had two different streaks of three consecutive top-two finishes in the voting — but never got past that. Jokic had the sixth instance of a player finishing a season averaging a triple-double — at least 10 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds per game. Only one of those seasons has led to an MVP win. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double in 1961-62; he didn't win MVP that year. Russell Westbrook did it four times and won the MVP award only once in that span. And now, Jokic finished second after a season statistically like none other. For the fourth consecutive year, no player born in the U.S. got a single first-place vote in the MVP race. Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) got 71 votes this year, and Jokic (Serbia) got the other 29. The last time a U.S.-born player got a first-place vote was 2021, when Stephen Curry got five votes, Chris Paul got two and Derrick Rose got one. Last year, Jokic got 79 first-place votes, while Gilgeous-Alexander got 15, Luka Doncic (then of Dallas, now of the Los Angeles Lakers) got four and Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo — born in Greece and someone also of Nigerian descent — got one. In 2023, Cameroon-born Joel Embiid (73), Jokic (15) and Antetokounmpo (12) got all the first-place nods, while in 2022 it was Jokic (65), Embiid (26) and Antetokounmpo (nine) atop all the ballots. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers made it back onto the ballots this season, marking the 20th time in his 22 years in the NBA that he got at least one MVP vote. He was sixth in this year's voting. James didn't get a vote in either of the last two seasons. He's the first player in NBA history to get at least one MVP vote in 20 different seasons. The No. 1 pick drought in the MVP race continues. It's now 12 consecutive years since a No. 1 draft pick won the MVP award, going back to LeBron James – then of Miami – in 2013. The MVPs, and their draft slot, since then: — Kevin Durant, MVP in 2014, No. 2 pick in 2007 — Stephen Curry, MVP in 2015 and 2016, No. 7 pick in 2009 — Russell Westbrook, MVP in 2017, No. 4 pick in 2008 — James Harden, MVP in 2018, No. 3 pick in 2009 — Giannis Antetokounmpo, MVP in 2019 and 2020, No. 15 pick in 2013 — Nikola Jokic, MVP in 2021, 2022 and 2024, No. 41 pick in 2014 — Joel Embiid, MVP in 2023, No. 3 pick in 2014 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, MVP in 2025, No. 11 pick in 2018 For the first time in seven years, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo did not get a first-place MVP vote. That ended the longest active streak. Nikola Jokic now has that streak, with five consecutive years of at least one first-place vote. Antetokounmpo's run was the longest in the NBA since LeBron James got a first-place vote in eight consecutive years from 2008 through 2015. That run ended when Golden State's Stephen Curry became the first — and still only — unanimous MVP in 2016. ___ AP NBA:
