The Celtics are one of the original eight teams that were founded in 1946. The franchise is one of two teams with 17 championships but the Celtics own the record for most recorded wins. Getting to that point required a ton of talent. The team had plenty of that going through the years. From Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, and Paul Pierce, the Celtics have a deep, rich history of success.
- Points – John Havlicek
- Rebounds – Bill Russell
- Assists – Bob Cousy
- Steals – Paul Pierce
- Blocks – Robert Parish
- Turnovers – Paul Pierce
- 3-Point Field Goals – Paul Pierce
- Field Goals – John Havlicek
- Free Throws – Paul Pierce
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- The All-Time Playoffs Leading Scorers For Every NBA Team
These players found their way to the top of the statistical leaderboard as well. Longevity was the name of the game for many of these players. Most of these players spent their entire career with the Celtics or the majority of it. In the end, these five players make up the leaderboard in the major categories. Let’s take a look at who leads what.
These are the Celtics’ all-time leaders in major categories.
Points – John Havlicek
1. John Havlicek – 26,395 Points
2. Paul Pierce – 24,021 Points
3. Larry Bird – 21,791 Points
The top three for points scored for the Celtics would own the career record for many other franchises. Because the Celtics are so historic, there are three legitimate players at the top of this category. Havlicek leads the way and will lead this category for the foreseeable future. During his playing days, Havlicek averaged at least 20.0 points per game for eight straight seasons. That included a career-high 28.9 points per game during the 1970-71 season.
When Pierce played for the Celtics, there was a growing belief that Pierce would ultimately own this record. Instead, he fell 2,300 points short. Had Pierce never been traded to the Nets, he might have been able to complete that run. Pierce averaged at least 20.0 points per game in eight of 10 seasons. The two seasons he fell short featured totals of 29.5 and 19.6 points per game. As for Bird, his career was not as long as Havlicek and Pierce but still managed to finish with over 20,000 career points.
Rebounds – Bill Russell
1. Bill Russell – 21,620 Rebounds
2. Robert Parish – 11,051 Rebounds
3. Dave Cowens – 10,170 Rebounds
The greatest rebounder of all time is Wilt Chamberlain. The second-greatest rebounder of all time is Bill Russell. Being number two all-time is one thing, but Russell will always be the greatest rebounder in team history. Given that the rebounding numbers are nowhere near the same as they used to be, it’s safe to say that Russell’s 21,620 career rebounds are unbreakable. To dive in further, Russell led the league in rebounding five times. That included three straight seasons between 1957 to 1959. He averaged 24.7 rebounds in 1964 and 24.1 rebounds in 1965 to also lead the league. That was part of a stretch where Russell averaged at least 20.0 rebounds per game for 10 consecutive seasons.
Parish played for the Celtics between 1980 to 1994. During that time, he averaged at least 10.0 rebounds eight times. That included his career high of 12.5 rebounds per game during the 1988-89 season. Cowens played for the Celtics for 10 seasons. Had he played a little bit longer in the league, who knows what would have happened? Cowens averaged at least 15.0 rebounds per game five times and at least 13.0 rebounds per game for eight consecutive years.
Assists – Bob Cousy
1. Bob Cousy – 6,945 Assists
2. John Havlicek 6,114 Assists
3. Larry Bird – 5,695 Assists
Cousy was one of the original great point guards. When Cousy played for the Celtics in the 50s, he was the game’s top playmaker. He led the league in assists per game for eight straight seasons between 1953 to 1960. While he never averaged double-digit assists for a season, he never averaged less than 7.0 assists per game. His career high of 9.5 assists per game came from the 1959-60 season.
Havlicek averaged 4.8 assists for his career with the Celtics, but his 1,270 career games helped him pad his stats. Havlicek’s best stretch of success came when he averaged 7.5 assists in 1971 and 1972. As for Bird, he averaged 6.3 assists per game for his career and played 13 seasons in the league with the Celtics. His best season came when he averaged 6.6 assists in 1966-67.
Steals – Paul Pierce
1. Paul Pierce – 1,583 Steals
2. Larry Bird – 1,556 Steals
3. Rajon Rondo – 990 Steals
Talk about a narrow battle for being the best. Pierce just beat out Larry Bird for the record. Pierce averaged a career-high 2.1 steals during the 1999-00 season, which was his second in the league. Pierce’s best stretch featured him averaging at least 1.6 steals per game for seven straight years to open up his career.
The all-time leader before Pierce was Bird, who averaged 1.7 steals per game while playing for the Celtics. He averaged 1.7 steals eight straight years and then his ninth season was 1.6 steals per game. He averaged 2.0 steals in 1981 and 1986, which were both championship seasons. Rajon Rondo was a four-time All-Defensive player with the Celtics. He once led the league in steals with 2.3 per game in 2009-10. He averaged 2.3 steals the following season but did not lead the league in steals. Had Rondo lasted a few more games before being traded to the Mavericks in 2014-15, he would have gotten to 1,000.
Blocks – Robert Parish
1. Robert Parish – 1,703 Blocks
2. Kevin McHale – 1,690 Blocks
3. Larry Bird – 755 Blocks
One of the finest rim protectors in the game during his time, Parish averaged 2.0 blocks per game two times with the Celtics. He just missed the mark with 1.9 blocks in 1983 and 1.8 blocks in 1987. His best mark with the Celtics was 2.6 blocks per game during the 1980-81 season. It’s only fitting that the career-best for Bird in steals and Parish in blocks came when the Celtics won an NBA championship.
McHale was often regarded as the team’s sixth man at the start of his career. He still managed to average 2.3 blocks per game in consecutive seasons. When McHale started to play more of a starting role, he averaged 2.8 blocks and 2.2 blocks in consecutive seasons. When he was older, he went back to a sixth-man role and managed to average 2.1 blocks. Had McHale managed to last one more season, he would have broken the record.
Turnovers – Paul Pierce
1. Paul Pierce – 3,213 Turnovers
2. Larry Bird – 2,816 Turnovers
3. Robert Parish – 2,380 Turnovers
Two of these players were the focal point of the offense for many years. That meant that the ball was in their hands quite a bit. For Pierce, he is the only Celtic to have more than 3,000 career turnovers for his career. Pierce averaged more than three turnovers a game five times in his career. He reached at least 2.8 turnovers four other times.
The other great offensive player in team history was Bird. He averaged 3.0 turnovers per game nine times. Had he played two more seasons with the Celtics, he would have joined Pierce in the 3,000 club. The surprising player is to see Parish on the list. His role was a tad different from the others. He was just not as skilled with the decision-making of completing the pass.
3-Point Field Goals – Paul Pierce
1. Paul Pierce – 1,823 3-PT Field Goals
2. Antoine Walker – 937 3-PT Field Goals
3. Jayson Tatum – 827 3-PT Field Goals
Three-point shooting has not always been the strong suit of this team. When you factor in that Havlicek played most of his career without a three-point line, he might have had up to 30,000 career points. Bird was not a strong outside shooter, as he had the size to battle inside. Pierce was the first true outside shooter the franchise had. That is why he has doubled the career total of Antoine Walker with his 1,823 made three-point shots. Pierce’s highest total for a season was 210.
The player that should take over this record is Jayson Tatum. Tatum owns a career three-point shooting percentage of 38.3%. He should make it past 1,000 career three-point shots this season. By the time his contract runs up, he will be right in the mix for the record. Tatum is entering his prime, so who knows what he could pop off this season.
Field Goals – John Havlicek
1. John Havlicek – 10,513 Field Goals
2. Larry Bird – 8,591 Field Goals
3. Paul Pierce – 7,882 Field Goals
When you lead the team in points, there is probably the assumption that you made the most shots. As mentioned, Havlicek spent time in his career without the three-point line. While that might have not changed his game completely, it is something to be aware of how many points he scored without a three-point field goal. Havlicek once made 892 and 897 shots in back-to-back seasons. He reached the 700-mark four times.
Bird started his career by making 693 shots. He followed that by making at least 700 shots in eight consecutive seasons. He made 718 shots after an injury-plagued season to make it nine times for his career. His best season came in 1984-85 when he made 918 shots. Pierce made at least 600 shots five times with the Celtics. His best season was making 707 shots during the 2001-02 season.
Free Throws – Paul Pierce
1. Paul Pierce – 6,434 Free Throws
2. John Havlicek – 5,369 Free Throws
3. Bob Cousy – 4,621 Free Throws
The best free throw shooter in team history statistically made four out of five shots at the line. Pierce finished his career with a career free throw shooting percentage of 80.6%. He once led the league in free throws and attempts by making 604 out of 753 shots during the 2002-03 season. Pierce made at least 300 free throws 13 times with the Celtics. During that stretch, he reached 400 free throws eight times, 500 free throws six times, and shot over 600 at the line two times. His career high of 627 free throws came during the 2005-06 season.
Havlicek never led the league in free throws. He made at least 400 free throws in a season three times and at least 300 free throws nine times. His best season came when he made 488, 554, and 548 free throws between 1970 and 1972. It’s hard to believe that a player that hasn’t suited up for the Celtics since 1963 remains in the top three. Cousy made 300 free throws in a season nine times and shot over 400 free throws in five consecutive seasons. His career high of 479 came during the 1952-53 season.
