Celtics Championship Rings

In every team sport, there are those couple of teams who have had the most success when it comes to winning the grandest prize on offer. If we are to stick to the major leagues of the United States, then the NFL has the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers as the leading franchises since the Super Bowl era, as both have won six Super Bowls each.

Similarly, in the MLB, the New York Yankees command respect from everyone as they are head and shoulders above the other teams winning a staggering 27 World Series titles. Likewise, the Montreal Canadiens are the NHL version of the Yankees having won 24 Stanley Cups, which is 11 more than the next-best Toronto Maple Leafs with 13.

In the NBA, there are two franchises that sit neck and neck with the most Larry O’Brien Trophies in their spacious cabinets. While the Los Angeles Lakers have 17 NBA titles to their name, the Boston Celtics overtook them after winning their 18th title in 2024. The third-best franchise is the Golden State Warriors, who have won a total of seven championships.

In this article, we will take a brief look at the Boston Celtics and how they won a total of 18 championships on course to becoming one of the most dominant and standout franchises in the league.

How Many Championship Rings Do The Celtics Have?

The Boston Celtics have a total of 18 NBA Championships which is the most in the NBA. The Celtics won their rings in the following years:

1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008, and 2024.

Boston Celtics History

Founded in 1946, the Boston Celtics are one of the original eight franchises of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics play their home games at TD Garden located in Boston, Massachusetts.

The team plays in the Eastern Conference and is part of the Atlantic Division along with the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Toronto Raptors. Boston, as a city, has always attracted some of the best talents in the game as it is one of the more important cities on the eastern coast of the United States.

Celtics Championship Rings History

The first NBA Championship the Celtics won in the history of their storied franchise dates back to 1957. After that, the franchise went on a tear and totally dominated the entire league for the next decade, winning a total of nine championships in the 1960s.

Since then, the Celtics had decent success in the 1970s and 1980s winning five championships throughout the two decades. They won their 17th NBA title in 2008 which came after a long gap of 22 years. Now, in 2024, the Celtics have once again lifted the Larry O'Brien trophy to claim their 18th title.

Over the years, the players that have brought so much glory and joy to the fans are legends of the game. The two most famous NBA players from the Celtics are from the older generations, namely, Bill Russell and Larry Bird. Both of these talents are no doubt two of the biggest names in the history of the entire NBA alongside other greats.

Besides Russell and Bird, Bob Cousy and John Havlicek in the 50s and 60s, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale in the 70s and 80s have also stood out as elite players for the franchise.

More recently, post the 2000s, four players who led the team to a championship in 2008 include Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Ray Allen. And in the more modern-day, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the latest dynamic duo to star for the Celtics.

During the late 1950s till the mid-1980s, the Boston Celtics were an extremely dominant franchise and they won almost all of their rings in that period. In fact, of their 18 championships, the Celtics won 16 during that time. However, post-1990, the Celtics have won just two, in 2008 and 2024.

How Did The Celtics Win Their Rings?

1957 - First Championship

The 1957 NBA Finals was played between the Celtics and the then St. Louis Hawks (Atlanta Hawks). This was Bill Russell’s rookie season and he set a rookie record for rebounds in the NBA Finals when he hauled in 32 rebounds in Game 7 of the Finals. The series was a very close encounter, but the Celtics edged out the Hawks 4-3 to lift their first-ever NBA title.

1959 - Second Championship

In the 1959 NBA Finals, the Celtics locked horns with the then Minneapolis Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers) who had renowned small forward Elgin Baylor in their ranks. The Finals were lopsided though as the Celtics prevailed in four games to win their second championship in a span of three years. This victory also kicked off a run of eight straight NBA titles for the Celtics which is still an NBA record to this day.

1960-1969 - Multiple Championships

The 1960s era was completely dominated by the Celtics. This team had no real threats and went on to win all the NBA titles barring the 1967 one where they lost in the Division Finals to the Wilt Chamberlain led Philadelphia 76ers.

The Celtics defeated the Hawks again in 1960 and 1961 for their third and fourth championships. In 1962 and 1963, they went up against the Los Angeles Lakers beating them in seven games (4-3) and six games (4-2) respectively to claim their fifth and sixth rings.

1964 saw the Celtics face off against the then San Francisco Warriors (Golden State Warriors) whom they defeated 4-1 for their seventh title. In the following two years in 1965 and 1966, the Lakers made it to the Finals once again but fell short on both occasions. The Celtics claimed their eighth and ninth titles, winning 4-1 and 4-3 respectively.

After a one-year drop from the Finals in 1967, the Celtics bounced back and made the NBA Finals again in 1968 and 1969 defeating the Lakers both times 4-2 and 4-3 respectively for their 10th and 11th championships. Up until this time, the Celtics team was led primarily by Bill Russell and Sam Jones.

1974 & 1976 - Championship # 12 and 13

After a five-year drought, the Celtics found themselves in the NBA Finals once again in 1974, this time led by John Havlicek and Dave Cowens. The Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in a tough seven-game series to clinch their 12th title.

In 1976, the Celtics returned to the Finals against the Phoenix Suns and lifted their 13th championship in six games (4-2).

1980s - Three more Championships

After a few years of absence from the NBA Finals, the Celtics returned to the biggest stage in 1981, 1984, and 1986. This team was built around Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. During this decade, the Celtics and the Lakers were the teams to beat as Los Angeles had stars such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson.

The 1981 NBA Finals were contested between the Celtics and the Houston Rockets. The Celtics won in six games to take their 14th title. 1984 was a matchup between Bird and Magic as the Celtics prevailed in a close seven game series and won their 15th championship.

The 1986 Finals was a rematch between the Celtics and the Rockets as Boston once again edged out Houston in six games to clinch what would be their last title for years to come with victory number 16.

2008 - Championship #17

More than a quarter of a century from their last win, the Celtics finally had their next title run in 2008 led by the awesome foursome of Pierce, Garnett, Rondo, and Allen. The Celtics won in six games against the Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles Lakers to claim championship number 17 for the franchise.

2024 - Championship #18

The most recent NBA championship for the Celtics came in 2024 when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the team to a 4-1 victory over the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics completely dominated the series going up 3-0 before losing one game and bouncing back to claim the title in 5 games. This series was a complete team effort with several players contributing to the team's success.

Which Celtics Player Has The Most Rings?

The legendary former center, Bill Russell has the most rings with the Boston Celtics with 11 to his name. He also leads the list of players with the most career rings in the entire NBA.

Following Russell, former shooting guard Sam Jones who played almost all of his career with Russell, has won a total of 10 rings. After Jones, there are four Celtics players who all have eight total NBA rings including John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, and Satch Sanders.