John Havlicek facts for kids

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John Havlicek
Personal information
Havlicek in the 1960s
Born	(1940-04-08)April 8, 1940 Martins Ferry, Ohio, U.S.
Nationality	American
Died	April 25, 2019(2019-04-25) (aged 79) Jupiter, Florida, U.S.
High school	Bridgeport (Bridgeport, Ohio)
Listed height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight	203 lb (92 kg)
Career information
College	Ohio State (1959–1962)
NBA Draft	1962 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Pro career	1962–1978
Career history
1962–1978	Boston Celtics

Career highlights and awards
8× NBA champion (1963–1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976) NBA Finals MVP (1974) 13× NBA All-Star (1966–1978) 4× All-NBA First Team (1971–1974) 7× All-NBA Second Team (1964, 1966, 1968–1970, 1975, 1976) 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1972–1976) 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1969–1971) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1963) NBA anniversary team (35th, 50th, 75th) No. 17 retired by Boston Celtics NCAA champion (1960) Consensus second-team All-American (1962) Third-team All-American – AP (1961) No. 5 retired by Ohio State Buckeyes

Career statistics
Points	26,395 (20.8 ppg)
Rebounds	8,007 (6.3 rpg)
Assists	6,114 (4.8 apg)

John Joseph Havlicek (born April 8, 1940 – died April 25, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. He played his entire career with the NBA team, the Boston Celtics. He won eight NBA championships with the Celtics.

Only his teammates Bill Russell (11 championships) and Sam Jones (10 championships) won more. Havlicek is one of only four players to win eight NBA titles. He is also one of only three players to have a perfect 8–0 record in the NBA Finals. Many people think he was one of the greatest players ever. He was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.

Early Life and Sports Beginnings
College Basketball Career
Professional Basketball Career
Havlicek's Legacy and Honors
Life After the NBA
Personal Life
NBA Career Statistics
- Regular Season
- Playoffs
See also

Early Life and Sports Beginnings

John Havlicek was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio. His parents owned a general store there. His family background was Czech and Croatian. John was a talented athlete in three different sports at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Ohio. He was even childhood friends with Phil Niekro, who later became a famous baseball player.

College Basketball Career

Havlicek played college basketball at Ohio State University. He played with other future stars like Jerry Lucas, who was his roommate, and Larry Siegfried. He also played with Bob Knight, who became a legendary coach.

The Ohio State Buckeyes team won the NCAA championship in 1960. Their coach was Fred Taylor. Havlicek was also chosen as an alternate player for the 1960 United States Olympic team.

Professional Basketball Career

In 1962, John Havlicek was drafted by two different professional sports teams. The Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) picked him for basketball. The Cleveland Browns of the National Football League picked him for football. He tried out briefly as a wide receiver for the Browns. But he soon decided to focus all his energy on playing basketball for the Celtics.

Havlicek was a "swingman", meaning he could play both guard and forward positions. He was famous for his amazing stamina. Other players often said it was hard just to keep up with him! Celtics coach Red Auerbach even called him “the guts of the team.”

The "Hondo" Nickname

John Havlicek was given the nickname "Hondo". This name came from a 1953 movie called Hondo, which starred John Wayne. In his early years with the Celtics, Havlicek changed the game by being a fantastic "sixth man". This means he was a star player who came off the bench instead of starting every game.

The Famous Steal

Havlicek is remembered for a super important steal he made in 1965. It happened in the last few seconds of the Eastern Conference championship game. In the seventh and final game, the Celtics were leading the Philadelphia 76ers 110–109. There were only five seconds left. The Celtics just needed to inbound the ball to win.

But Bill Russell's pass hit a wire hanging from the ceiling. This caused a turnover, giving the ball to the 76ers and Wilt Chamberlain. Hal Greer was about to throw the ball in for the 76ers. Havlicek was guarding Chet Walker with his back to Greer. But as Greer threw the pass, Havlicek quickly spun around, jumped, and tipped the ball to his teammate Sam Jones.

A famous referee, Earl Strom, later said it was one of the greatest plays he had ever seen. The radio announcer Johnny Most famously yelled, "Havlicek stole the ball!" This call became known as "the most famous radio call in basketball history."

More Playoff Moments

In 1968, during Game Five of the Eastern Division Finals, Havlicek had an amazing game. He scored 29 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and made 10 assists. This helped the Celtics avoid being eliminated by the 76ers. In Game Seven, he played strong again with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. The Celtics won that game on the road. In that series, the Celtics became the first NBA team to come back and win after being down 3–1 in the playoffs.

The Celtics won the 1974 NBA Championship. Havlicek was named the NBA Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player) for his excellent performance.

In Game Five of the 1976 NBA Finals, Havlicek made a shot with one second left in the second overtime. It looked like the game-winning shot! But the other team, Phoenix, got one last chance. The Celtics ended up winning in triple overtime. At the time, people called it the greatest NBA finals game ever.

When he retired after the 1977–78 NBA season, Havlicek was the Celtics' all-time leading scorer. He still held that record when he passed away in 2019. Besides scoring a lot, he was a tough defender. He was named to five first-team and three second-team NBA All-Defensive teams. He was also known for being a strong rebounder for his size and for forcing other players to turn over the ball.

He finished his career with eight NBA championships and was chosen for 13 All-Star teams during his 16 years in the league.

Havlicek's Legacy and Honors

John Havlicek was a 13-time NBA All-Star. When he retired in 1978, the Celtics immediately retired his number 17 jersey. This means no other Celtics player will ever wear that number again. At the time, Havlicek had played more games than any other NBA player. He was also third in total points scored, behind only Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson.

In 1980, Havlicek was chosen as one of the league's greatest players ever. He was named to the NBA 35th Anniversary Team. In 1984, he became a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was picked as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. This was decided by a group of journalists, players, coaches, and team managers. He was also named the 14th best player of all time in Bill Simmons's book Book of Basketball. In October 2021, Havlicek was honored again as one of the greatest players ever, being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Havlicek is still the Celtics' all-time leader in points, with 26,395 points. He played in 1,270 games for the team. He was the first player to score 1,000 points in 16 seasons in a row. His best scoring season was in 1970–71, when he averaged 28.9 points per game.

In 1974, Havlicek received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.

In 2007, the gymnasium at Bridgeport High School was renamed the "John J. Havlicek Gymnasium" in his honor.

Fellow NBA Hall of Famer Chris Mullin wore number 17 as a way to honor Havlicek.

His longtime Celtics teammate Bill Russell once called Havlicek "'the best all-around ballplayer [he] ever saw'".

Life After the NBA

John Havlicek was smart with his money during his playing career. He invested a lot of it in the Wendy's fast food chain when it was just starting. Because his investments did so well, Havlicek had a very comfortable life after he retired. He never had to work a regular job again. He didn't want to be a coach. Instead, he worked as a speaker for companies.

Havlicek was also on the board of the Genesis Foundation. This foundation helps children who have disabilities and genetic disorders. For over 30 years, he and his wife Beth held the John Havlicek Celebrity Fishing Tournament. All the money raised went to the foundation.

Personal Life

Havlicek met his wife, Beth, when they were both students at Ohio State University. They got married in 1967. They had two children, a son named Chris and a daughter named Jill. Chris Havlicek played basketball at the University of Virginia in the early 1990s. Jill Havlicek married Brian Buchanan, who used to play and coach in Major League Baseball.

In his later years, Havlicek had Parkinson's disease. He passed away on April 25, 2019, in Jupiter, Florida, at the age of 79.

NBA Career Statistics

Here are some of John Havlicek's statistics from his time playing in the NBA.

Regular Season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1962–63†	Boston	80*	—	27.5	.445	—	.728	6.7	2.2			14.3
1963–64†	Boston	80	—	32.3	.417	—	.746	5.4	3.0			19.9
1964–65†	Boston	75	—	28.9	.401	—	.744	4.9	2.7			18.3
1965–66†	Boston	71	—	30.6	.399	—	.785	6.0	3.0			18.8
1966–67	Boston	81*	—	32.1	.444	—	.828	6.6	3.4			21.4
1967–68†	Boston	82	—	35.6	.429	—	.812	6.7	4.7			20.7
1968–69†	Boston	82	—	38.7	.405	—	.780	7.0	5.4			21.6
1969–70	Boston	81	—	41.6	.464	—	.844	7.8	6.8			24.2
1970–71	Boston	81	—	45.4*	.450	—	.818	9.0	7.5			28.9
1971–72	Boston	82	—	45.1*	.458	—	.834	8.2	7.5			27.5
1972–73	Boston	80	—	42.1	.450	—	.858	7.1	6.6			23.8
1973–74†	Boston	76	—	40.7	.456	—	.832	6.4	5.9	1.3	.4	22.6
1974–75	Boston	82	—	38.2	.455	—	.870	5.9	5.3	1.3	.2	19.2
1975–76†	Boston	76	—	34.2	.450	—	.844	4.1	3.7	1.3	.4	17.0
1976–77	Boston	79	—	36.9	.452	—	.816	4.8	5.1	1.1	.2	17.7
1977–78	Boston	82	—	34.1	.449	—	.855	4.0	4.0	1.1	.3	16.1
Career		1,270	—	36.6	.439	—	.815	6.3	4.8	1.2	.3	20.8
All-Star		13	10	23.3	.481	—	.756	3.5	2.6	.3	.0	13.8

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1963†	Boston	11	—	23.1	.448	—	.667	4.8	1.5			11.8
1964†	Boston	10	—	28.9	.384	—	.795	4.3	3.2			15.7
1965†	Boston	12	—	33.8	.352	—	.836	7.3	2.4			18.5
1966†	Boston	17	—	42.3	.409	—	.841	9.1	4.1			23.6
1967	Boston	9	—	36.7	.448	—	.803	8.1	3.1			27.4
1968†	Boston	19	—	45.4	.452	—	.828	8.6	7.5			25.9
1969†	Boston	18	—	47.2	.445	—	.855	9.9	5.6			25.4
1972	Boston	11	—	47.0	.460	—	.859	8.4	6.4			27.4
1973	Boston	12	—	39.9	.477	—	.824	5.2	5.4			23.8
1974†	Boston	18	—	45.1	.484	—	.881	6.4	6.0	1.3	.3	27.1
1975	Boston	11	—	42.2	.432	—	.868	5.2	4.6	1.5	.1	21.1
1976†	Boston	15	—	33.7	.444	—	.809	3.7	3.4	.8	.3	13.2
1977	Boston	9	—	41.7	.371	—	.820	5.4	6.9	.9	.4	18.3
Career		172	—	39.9	.436	—	.836	6.9	4.8	1.1	.3	22.0