Red Auerbach is one of the most legendary coaches that the NBA has seen. He won nine championships as a coach, all with the Boston Celtics. There is no doubt that he is an iconic figure in NBA history.
During his time in the league, Red Auerbach was known as a basketball revolutionary, emphasizing team defense. He notably helped Bill Russell become the greatest winner in NBA history. His focus was always on winning games, but it seems as though he was able to have a little bit of fun while doing so.
Red Auerbach Used To Smoke Cigars To Piss Off Opposing Fans
One of the things that Red Auerbach was known for doing was smoking cigars on the court. According to Instagram page basketball_mecca, he did that to make opposing fans angry, and there’s no doubt that it must have been frustrating for those fans to watch him engage in the form of showboating after coaching the Celtics to a win against their team.
The league eventually decided to fine him for smoking cigars on the court, but it seems as though Red Auerbach had a solution. Basketball_mecca revealed that he got a cigar company to endorse him, with the payment for each cigar being more than the amount the league fined him for lighting it up.
Red was always public enemy number 1 on the road and embraced the villain role with his antics that often got him fined and ejected (Bill Russell had to hold him back from shoving referees many times).
Not wanting to change his ways, but wanting to turn this into a net financial positive, he decided to start what he called the “victory cigar celebration” during which he would kick his feet up and light one up when he felt the game was out of reach for the other team.
The league would fine him for that as well. But as a chess master would do, he found a way to profit off of it and enrage the opposing crowd while doing it. The cigar brand Blackstone accepted to pay him per cigar smoked on camera.
Some trash talking and showboating is part of sports, and it is clear that Red Auerbach thought exactly that. There’s nothing wrong with smoking a cigar after a deserved win, though Red Auerbach clearly made a whole show out of it to annoy fans of the opposing team.
There is no doubt that Red Auerbach managed to find a loophole that allowed him to taunt opposing fans, enjoy cigars, and also make some money all in one. He had elite basketball knowledge, but it’s clear that he also had some business sense as well.
