Editor’s note: players only qualify if they logged at least one playoff appearance in their respective championship years. Also, the list is based on their entire career, not just their span of time with Boston.

21) Rick Carlisle (1986)

Mostly known now for his coaching, Carlisle was previously notable as arguably the worst player on arguably the greatest team of all time, the ’85-’86 Celtics. As teammates with Ralph Sampson at Virginia, Carlisle had plenty of experience supporting greatness by the time the Celtics drafted him in 1984. His playing time was light in ’85-’86, as the the ninth man and odd man out in coach K.C. Jones’ eight-man rotation. But Carlisle did get to start one late season game against the Bucks when Jones benched his usual starters for rest. Carlisle got some garbage time minutes in the 1986 Finals against the Rockets, compiling six points and three assists in eight minutes of play. He was also on the Boston teams that reached the NBA Finals in 1985 and 1987, but left off the postseason roster each time. After brief stints with the Knicks and Nets (and some time in the CBA), he transitioned immediately into coaching as an assistant under Bill Fitch. Years later, Carlisle’s old friend Larry Bird hired him as head coach of the Pacers. He later coached the Mavericks to a championship in 2011, upsetting a Heat team many had pegged as rivaling the ’85-’86 Celtics for greatness.

20) David Thirdkill (1986)

Starting in 1983, Thirdkill was a member of six teams over a three-year stretch, one of which traded him and four of which cut him. The last of those teams was one of the greatest in NBA history, the ’85-’86 Celtics, for whom Thirdkill was the 12th man, replacing the disappointing Sly Williams as a deep bench option at forward. Basically picking up where Carlos Clark had left off a couple years earlier (see below), Thirdkill was a defensive specialist that endeared himself to coaches and teammates thanks to his intensity, and filled in some valuable minutes during the regular season when Kevin McHale was injured. He played in 13 postseason games in 1986, mostly in garbage time, and was on the Celtics roster at the start of ’86-’87 but soon after waived and never played in the NBA again. He finished his five year career with averages of 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds per game but did find some later success overseas, including earning MVP of the Israeli Premier League in ’92-’93.

19) Eric Fernsten (1981)

A fan favorite for his intensity and a coach favorite for his ability to push the team’s front court stars in practice, Fernsten lasted three seasons in Boston despite being buried on the bench for most of it. His pro career started with the Cavaliers drafting him in 1975 and included stops with the Bulls and in Italy before signing with the Celtics in 1979. Fernsten appeared in 18 playoff games over the next three seasons, though he never tallied more than four points or three rebounds in any given contest. He did get onto the floor for four of the six games in the 1981 NBA Finals, putting up two points and four rebounds as the Celtics defeated the Rockets. Finally waived by Boston in 1982 after they drafted a new backup center in Darren Tillis, Fernsten hung around for one more season with the Knicks before finishing up his career in the CBA. He later sued the Celtics for releasing him while knowing that he was injured with a sports hernia which required surgery.

18) Carlos Clark (1984)

A long shot to make the roster when the Celtics drafted him in the fourth round in 1983 out of Mississippi, Clark impressed coach K.C. Jones enough with his defensive intensity to carve out a spot as the 12th man. Thanks to Boston cruising to blowout wins in many of their 1984 playoff games, Clark got decent garbage time minutes, including in three NBA Finals games as they defeated the Lakers to win the title. It was even more improbable for Clark to make the team in ’84-’85 but he did it again, this time beating out first round draft pick Michael Young for the final roster spot. After the Celtics lost their Finals rematch against Los Angeles in 1985, Clark was waived and unable to secure another NBA gig. He moved on to a successful second career in Belgium before retiring to become a high school coach.

17) Terry Duerod (1981)

Though he never lived up to expectations in the NBA after star high school and college careers in Detroit, Duerod did become a fan favorite in Boston, where the crowd would chant “doooo!” whenever he entered games as the 12th man. Those garbage time scenarios were an exciting subplot of the ’80-’81 Celtics title season, with Duerod often lighting up the scoreboard for short spurts. His career had started more promisingly, averaging 9.3 points per game as a rookie for the Pistons, but quickly flamed out after a disastrous stint with the expansion Mavericks. Duerod spent two seasons with the Celtics, winning a championship in the former, ’80-’81, then one year with the Warriors before retiring. He supposedly earned the nickname “Human Victory Cigar” long before Darko Milicic in Detroit, which would be appropriate, as Boston’s general manager in 1981 was still the famed celebratory cigar smoker himself, Red Auerbach. After spending some time playing in Italy and the Philippines, Duerod retired and returned to Detroit, where he became a firefighter.

16) Greg Kite (1984, 1986)

When the Celtics traded for Dennis Johnson in 1983, they dealt away their top backup big man in Rick Robey. Utilizing the first round pick that was included in the trade from Phoenix, Red Auerbach drafted Kite, a 6’11” center from BYU. Reuniting with his collegiate teammate Danny Ainge, Kite was part of the 1984 and 1986 Celtics championship teams. He played light minutes in ’83-’84, when coach K.C. Jones opted for small ball lineups whenever Robert Parish rested and even lighter minutes in ’85-’86, when Bill Walton bumped him to third on the depth chart. Kite’s greatest postseason performance actually came in an NBA Finals in which the Celtics lost, providing 22 minutes of strong defense and rebounding in a game three win in 1987, when Parish was in foul trouble and Walton was injured. Though his career averages were just 2.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, Kite lasted 12 seasons in the NBA, making stops with the Clippers, Hornets, Kings, Magic, Knicks, and Pacers, after Boston waived him in 1988. 

15) Jerry Sichting (1986)

Only two players appeared in all 100 (82 regular season and 18 postseason) games of the legendary ’85-’86 Celtics season: Larry Bird and Sichting. Another thing that pair had in common was being Hoosier state legends. Sichting attended Martinsville High School in central Indiana, then moved on to success at Purdue (after getting snubbed by Bob Knight and Indiana). But the pro ranks were a different story for Sichting, who failed to make the Warriors roster after getting drafted in the fourth round and was working at a hardware store back home when the Pacers gave him a second chance. After a few successful seasons in Indiana, he signed with the Celtics as a free agent in 1985. Able to come off the bench behind both Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge, Sichting was a key piece of the ’85-’86 title team, providing intense defense, steady ball handling, and accurate outside shooting. In game five of the NBA Finals against Houston, he harassed Ralph Sampson so badly that the Rockets center took a couple swings at Sichting, earning himself an ejection. The Celtics traded Sichting to the Trail Blazers in 1988 and he closed out his career with brief stints in Portland, Charlotte, and Milwaukee. He later became a radio analyst for the Celtics and then a coach, with notable stops including as an assistant under Kevin McHale on the Timberwolves, and as the head coach at his alma mater, Martinsville.

14) Rick Robey (1981)

With the third pick in the 1978 NBA Draft, the Pacers passed on local hero Larry Bird and instead selected Robey, a center who had just led Kentucky to the national title. Less than a year later, the Pacers were already prepared to give up on Robey and they traded him to the Celtics for Billy Knight. Robey put up solid stats for Boston in ’78-’79 and ’79-’80, backing up Dave Cowens effectively, but his role reduced in ’80-’81 when Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were added to the roster. In the 1981 title run, Robey played light minutes but did appear in all 17 playoff games and averaged 7.8 points per game in the NBA Finals victory over the Rockets, as garbage time minutes were plentiful. Though he wasn’t part of the 1984 and 1986 championship teams, Robey still contributed in a way, as the centerpiece of the lopsided trade that brought Dennis Johnson to Boston from the Suns in 1983. Unable to revive his career in Phoenix, Robey retired in 1986 to become a real estate broker. He’s also meaningful to Celtics fans as an early close friend of Bird, as he helped the young superstar acclimate to NBA life.

13) Sam Vincent (1986)

Pistons fans were elated when the Detroit prep legend and Michigan State All-American Vincent was on the board at #18 in the 1985 NBA Draft. But the team opted instead to select another, lesser known shooting guard in Joe Dumars, allowing Vincent to fall to the Celtics at #20 (Detroit fans booed the decision at the time but obviously viewed it as the correct one in retrospect). We’ll never know what Dumars in a Celtics jersey would have looked like but we did get a glimpse of Vincent in one and the results were disappointing. In his two seasons in Boston, the combo guard averaged just 3.4 points and 1.2 assists per game and often looked lost on both ends of the court. He did earn a championship in his rookie season but played the least amount of minutes of any of the 12 players on the 1986 postseason roster. The Celtics traded him to the Sonics in 1987 and he later made stops with the Magic and Bulls, becoming one of just four players to be teammates with Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.

12) M.L. Carr (1981, 1984)

While the arrival of Larry Bird was obviously the main reason the Celtics became a title contender in ’79-’80, an underrated facet of their turnaround was the free agent signing of Carr. A versatile and intelligent small forward, Carr did a little bit of everything for the Celtics in his six seasons in Boston, including at the tail end when the team just needed an energetic leader at the end of the bench. Carr actually started his pro career in Israel, earning MVP in the short-lived European Professional Basketball League before earning 1st-Team All-Rookie honors for the Spirits of St. Louis in the ABA. He signed with the Pistons after the Spirits failed to make the merger and was a star player in Detroit for three seasons, especially in ’78-’79, when he averaged a career high 18.7 points per game, led the NBA in steals, and was named to the All-Defensive team. In Boston, Carr was more of a role player but a crucial one, earning championships in 1981 and 1984. His biggest moments came in game five of the 1981 Conference Finals, when he hit the game winning free throws, and in game four of the 1984 NBA Finals, when he made the steal and dunk in overtime that sealed the victory. Celtics fans loved him not just for his talent and leadership but also his bravado (he took special delight in taunting the Lakers) and his signature towel waving on the bench. Carr later became general manager and coach of the Celtics in late ’90s, with mixed results.

11) Quinn Buckner (1984)

Only eight players have ever won an NCAA title, Olympic gold medal, and NBA title, and three of them were Celtics: Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, and Buckner. Buckner earned the first two in the same year, 1976, taking home the NCAA title as part of the legendary undefeated Indiana Hoosiers and then gold that July at the Olympics in Montreal. Tough, versatile, and a natural leader, Buckner fit in well wherever he stopped in the NBA, from his early days putting up solid stats for the Bucks to his later years as a role player with the Celtics. Traded to Boston in 1982 for an un-retiring Dave Cowens, Buckner slot in perfectly as a combo guard coming off the bench, providing shutdown defense and some play making. His role was reduced in ’83-’84 when the Celtics added Dennis Johnson but Buckner appeared in all 23 playoff games as the Celtics won the title. He was also part of the ’84-’85 NBA Finals team before getting traded to the Pacers for a second round pick. Buckner later became a longtime television analyst and spent one disastrous season coaching the Mavericks.

10) Chris Ford (1981)

A tough defender with an effective long range shot, Ford didn’t put up huge stats for the Celtics but he was the starting shooting guard in the first two seasons of the Larry Bird era. That included the title run in 1981, when Ford was fifth on the team in scoring and third in assists in the postseason. Prior to his time in Boston, Ford had been a steady scorer and play maker for the Pistons, averaging as many as 15.4 points per game in ’78-’79. He was also part of the ’81-’82 Celtics that reached the Conference Finals before retiring at age 33. One more notable superlative about Ford is he made the first three-point field goal in NBA history, doing so on October 12, 1979, the same night that Bird made his Celtics debut (Bird shot 0-for-1 from three-point range in the game). After retiring as a player, Ford immediately became an assistant coach under K.C. Jones, earning additional championship rings in 1984 and 1986. He later became head coach of the the team from 1990 to 1995.

9) Gerald Henderson (1981, 1984)

In a franchise history that includes numerous incredible individual plays from Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Bob Cousy, it was a steal by Henderson that many Celtics fans would cite as their all-time most memorable. It came in game two of the 1984 NBA Finals, with the Celtics trailing late and in danger of falling behind 2-0 in the series to the Lakers. Henderson stole an inbounds pass from James Worthy and laid it in for a tying basket, setting off bedlam in the Boston Garden. The Celtics went on to win the game in overtime and the series in seven games. It was typical unsung hero behavior for Henderson, who never put up big stats for the Celtics but did a little bit of everything at the point guard position. Originally drafted by the Spurs in 1978, Henderson couldn’t make the roster as a rookie and played in the Western Basketball Association before signing with the Celtics in 1979. After earning championships in 1981 and 1984, he was traded to the SuperSonics in 1986 in exchange for the draft pick that was used on Len Bias. He became a journeyman from there, ultimately playing for seven franchises in 13 seasons, including a stop in Detroit, where he became the only player to win a title with both Bird and Isiah Thomas.

8) Scott Wedman (1984, 1986)

Somewhere between the legends earning a ring late in their career with the Celtics (Bill Walton and Tiny Archibald) and the former superstar taking on a slightly lesser role (Dennis Johnson), there was Wedman. The #6 overall pick in the 1974 draft, Wedman spent his first seven seasons with the Kings, making two All-Star appearances during that span while averaging 16.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He helped lead Kansas City to a surprise run to the 1981 Conference Finals but walked as a free agent that summer, signing with the Cavaliers. By the time he reached the Celtics in 1983 (traded from the Cavs for Darren Tillis and a first round pick), Wedman was struggling with injuries despite his infamous diet and exercise regimen (he was nicknamed “Incredible Hulk” for his weightlifting prowess). He willingly took on a lesser role as Larry Bird’s backup small forward and thrived, closing out his career with four consecutive NBA Finals appearances, winning titles in 1984 and 1986. Wedman’s most memorable Boston moment came in the 1985 “Memorial Day Massacre,” a 34-point NBA Finals game one victory in which he scored 26 points off the bench while shooting 11-of-11 from the field.

7) Danny Ainge (1984, 1986)

A three-sport star at his high school in Eugene, Oregon, Ainge spent three years with the Toronto Blue Jays organization before making the shift from pro baseball to basketball. It was a rough transition at first, with Ainge regularly drawing the ire of head coach Bill Fitch, who usually left him languishing on the bench in his first two seasons. Things changed when K.C. Jones took over and by ’84-’85, Ainge has established himself as the starting shooting guard for the remainder of the decade. He was fourth in scoring, third in assists, and the team leader in steals on the ’85-’86 Celtics title team, and his on-court intensity was immeasurably crucial to Boston’s success. It also led to several postseason tussles involving Ainge, including especially memorable ones with Tree Rollins, Sidney Moncrief, James Worthy, and Isiah Thomas. As the Celtics dynasty began to wind down, Ainge’s offensive role increased and he was named an All-Star in 1988 before closing out his career as a solid role player for the Blazers and Suns. He returned to the Celtics organization in 2003 in a front office position, eventually orchestrating the Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen acquisitions that led to the 2008 championship.

6) Cedric Maxwell (1981, 1984)

When the Celtics defeated the Rockets to win the 1981 championship, the Finals MVP was not Larry Bird, Robert Parish, or Tiny Archibald. It was Maxwell and deservedly so, as the athletic forward dominated the last four games of the series, averaging 22.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 64.8% from the field. But when Celtics fans from the era hear Maxwell’s name, they likely first think of game seven of the 1984 NBA Finals. In a series clinching victory over the Lakers, Maxwell was Boston’s leading scorer with 24 points, while adding eight rebounds, eight assists, and a late game steal of Magic Johnson that clinched the game. Though he never earned any individual accolades besides his Finals MVP trophy, Maxwell was a crucial part of the Celtics dynasty up through the 1984 Finals. His ’84-’85 campaign was decidedly different, as he struggled with injuries and indifference (Bird would later claim Maxwell quit on the team during the 1985 Finals loss to Los Angeles) and was traded that offseason to the Clippers for Bill Walton. Maxwell got back into the good graces of Celtics fans in the ’00s, becoming a beloved, longtime Boston radio broadcaster.

5) Bill Walton (1986)

In the summer of 1985, the Celtics took a big swing in an attempt to fortify their front court rotation. They traded Cedric Maxwell, a franchise mainstay who was Finals MVP in 1981 but struggling with injuries, to the Clippers with a first round pick for Walton. A Finals MVP himself in 1977 for the Trail Blazers as well as league MVP in ’77-’78, Walton was one of the NBA’s biggest stars but also its most injury prone, missing three entire seasons in his prime, as well as the better parts of two others. Aiming to join a contender after several years in the sorry Clippers organization, Walton attempted to sign with the Lakers but the deal was scrapped after he failed a physical. He apparently passed muster for the Celtics though and the trade was consummated right before the start of the ’85-’86 season. A rejuvenated Walton was a huge bench asset for Boston, earning Sixth Man of the Year in the regular season and then providing a consistent, steady force in the postseason as the Celtics won their third championship of the ’80s. Injuries took a toll again on Walton in ’86-’87, limiting him to just 10 games and forcing him to retire after the season.

4) Robert Parish (1981, 1984, 1986)
3) Kevin McHale (1981, 1984, 1986)

On one day in 1980, the Celtics landed two franchise players and fortified a dynasty. Holding the #1 overall pick in the draft thanks to a shrewd trade with a Pistons a year prior, Boston traded that selection and the #13 pick to the Warriors for the #3 pick and Parish. Using that third pick on McHale, the Celtics now had one of the most fearsome front courts in NBA history in place for a decade (meanwhile, the Warriors used the #1 pick on Joe Barry Carroll, who had a solid but unspectacular career). Parish and McHale were ultimately the only players besides Larry Bird himself to be on the roster for all three Celtics championships of the ’80s. Parish came to Boston as an already established player (his rookie season was ’76-’77) and remained a solid force, making nine All-Star appearances for the Celtics while racking up stats by consistently staying on the court, eventually becoming the NBA’s all-time leader in games played. McHale brought a varied offensive arsenal and defensive prowess to the parquet floor. He started off backing up Bird, Parish, and Cedric Maxwell, earning Sixth Man of the Year in ’83-’84 and ’84-’85, before moving into the starting lineup in ’85-’86, spurring the greatest season in franchise history. While McHale played his entire career with the Celtics, eventually retiring in 1993, Parish had later career stops with the Hornets and Bulls, eventually retiring as a champion in 1997, becoming the only player to win titles as a teammate of Bird and Michael Jordan.

2) Tiny Archibald (1981)

When the Celtics traded for Archibald in 1978, they were not receiving the play making dynamo who led the NBA in scoring and assists in ’72-’73. In fact, “Tiny” showed up to training camp out of shape, still working his way back from an Achilles’ tear suffered in 1977 that was hampering his athleticism. Though he was no longer one of the league’s best scorers or athletic marvels, Archibald was still an effective scorer, play maker, and team leader for the Celtics. In Larry Bird’s first three seasons, starting in ’79-’80, Archibald was the starting point guard, averaging 13.6 points and 8.0 assists per game. When Bird played in his second All-Star Game in 1981, it was Archibald earning MVP honors in his fifth of six career appearances. Archibald was the playoffs assists leader and third in scoring for the ’80-’81 Celtics that won the championship, the only title (and Finals appearance) of his storied, Hall of Fame career. He remained the starting point guard for one more season before getting replaced by Danny Ainge and subsequently waived. Two interesting side notes on Archibald getting traded to Boston: 1) like Bill Walton a few years later, he came to the Celtics as a “damaged goods” veteran from the Clippers, and 2) he was traded in a package that included a second round pick in 1981, which was used on his eventual replacement, Ainge.

1) Dennis Johnson (1984, 1986)

Long before getting traded to the Celtics in 1983, Johnson had a connection to the franchise via its all-time greatest legend. Drafted by the SuperSonics in 1976, Johnson’s played in his rookie season under coach Bill Russell, who then resigned when Seattle missed the playoffs. Though his career got off to a slow start, Johnson eventually thrived with Seattle and later Phoenix, earning four All-Star appearances, 1st-Team All-NBA once, 2nd-Team All-NBA once, 1st-Team All-Defensive five times, and Finals MVP in 1979. But his size and style as a combo guard were unconventional and his reputation was that of a malcontent, clashing with coaches and teammates over his usage. When Johnson struggled for Phoenix in ’82-’83, Red Auerbach sensed a market inefficiency he could exploit and traded Rick Robey for the pugnacious star. Focusing more on his defense and play making in the freewheeling Celtics offense, Johnson thrived in Boston, reviving his career and earning two championships. Just how important was Johnson defensively to the ’80s Celtics? Just ask their biggest rival, Magic Johnson, who labelled the Celtics guard as the greatest defender he ever faced. Or talk to Larry Bird himself, who agrees with our list, calling Johnson his all-time greatest teammate in his autobiography. Johnson is the only player on this list that is no longer alive, having passed away tragically at age in 2007 from a heart attack. He was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame three years later.

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