Boston Celtics Coaches

Boston Celtics Coaches

The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team is owned by Wycliffe Grousbeck and coached by Doc Rivers, with Danny Ainge as the general manager. Founded in 1946, their 17 NBA Championships are the most for any NBA franchise, and their eight consecutive NBA championships from 1959 to 1966 represent the longest consecutive championship winning streak of any North American professional sports team to date. They play their home games in the TD Banknorth Garden.

There have been 16 head coaches for the Boston Celtics franchise. The Celtics won their first NBA championship in the 1957 NBA Finals under the coaching of Red Auerbach. Auerbach is the franchise's all-time leader in the number of regular-season and playoff wins as a coach. Auerbach and Bill Fitch were included in the Top 10 Coaches in NBA history. Fitch was the 1979–80 NBA Coach of the Year and also led the Celtics to a championship that year. Auerbach led the Celtics to nine championships, in 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966. He was also the 1965–65 Coach of the Year. K.C. Jones led the Celtics to two championships, in 1984 and 1986. Alvin Julian and Auerbach have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as coaches.

Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, Tom Sanders, Dave Cowens, K.C. Jones, Chris Ford and M. L. Carr have played and coached for the Celtics. John Russell, Alvin Julian, Heinsohn, Sanders, Carr, and John Carroll spent their entire coaching career with the Celtics. As of June 2011, the Celtics' coach, Doc Rivers, has led the team to one NBA championship.