Boston Celtics: Top 5 points leaders
The Boston Celtics are one of the biggest franchises in the history of the NBA, and their place as a glorious team is never in doubt.
The Boston Celtics are tied with the LA Lakers for the most NBA championships in history with 17 and the franchise history is full of big winning moments, iconic plays and legendary players.
Boston Celtics: Top five points leaders
It might be tricky to guess the leader in points scored for the Boston Celtics, as there has been so many Hall of Fame players (36) who have played for the franchise over the years.
The Boston Celtics have won the most regular-season games in league history (3426) and rank third in all time in terms of winning percentage (.591).
The franchise has 17 NBA championships and 21 appearances in the NBA Finals. Moreover, Boston Celtics players lead the all-time table with ten regular-season MVP awards (one by Bob Cousy, five by Bill Russell, one by Dave Cowens and three by Larry Bird).
On that note, let's have a look at the five all-time leading scorers in Boston Celtics history.
#5 Kevin McHale
A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the greatest forwards in NBA history, Kevin McHale is a Boston Celtics legend who spent his entire 13-year career with the franchise, doing so between 1980 and 1993.
McHale was part of one of the best eras of the NBA and the Boston Celtics franchise. Alongside Larry Bird, Robert Parish and other legends like Dennis Johnson and Bill Walton, McHale won three NBA championships (1981, 1984 and 1986) with the Boston Celtics.
Even though he started 400 of his 971 regular-season games, McHale is fifth in scoring for the Boston Celtics, with 17,335 points. McHale was a seven-time All-Star, six-time All-Defensive player and won two Sixth Man of the Year awards.
#4 Robert Parish
Robert Parish was an imposing presence in the 1980s Boston Celtics team. 'The Chief' played 14 seasons with the Boston Celtics, averaging 16.5 points and ten rebounds per game.
He was a member of one of the most successful 'Big Threes' in NBA history, with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. Parish won three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics.
Moreover, given his longevity with the team and his consistency in offense, Parish ranks fourth in the history of the Boston Celtics franchise with 18245 points scored. Parish made it to nine NBA All-Star Games and won his fourth championship in a reduced role for the 1997 Chicago Bulls.
#3 Larry Bird
Larry Bird is one of the most iconic players in the history of the Boston Celtics and the entire NBA. His rivalry with LA Lakers guard Magic Johnson from the late 1970s in college basketball throughout the 1980s in the NBA was a mesmerizing one in a marvelous era of the league.
Bird played with the Boston Celtics during his entire NBA career, doing so from 1979 to 1992. He won three NBA championships as the team's best player, two Finals MVP awards and three regular-season MVP awards (consecutively between 1984 and 1986).
Larry scored 21,791 points in his legendary career for the Boston Celtics, which is third-best in the franchise's history. Bird was also a 12-time All-Star and received 10 All-NBA and three All-Defensive selections.
#2 Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce became a Boston Celtics legend and the face of the franchise after being selected as the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. He helped the franchise win its 17th NBA title ten years later.
In 15 seasons at the Boston Celtics, Pierce averaged 21.8 points, six rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in the regular season. He scored a total of 24,021 points with the Boston Celtics and retired as the second-highest scorer in the history of the franchise.
Pierce was a 10-time All-Star and earned four All-NBA selections in his career. When the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA championship with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Pierce leading the team, the latter was the Finals MVP.
#1 John Havlicek
John Havlicek is a legendary player in the history of the NBA and especially of the Boston Celtics. 'Hondo' is the Boston Celtics' all-time leader in regular-season points with 26,395.
Moreover, Havlicek won eight NBA championships in his career with the team and was the 1974 Finals MVP after leading the franchise to the championship. Of course, Havlicek was a key member of the 1960s Boston Celtics, winning six championships alongside Bill Russell.
He was the team leader in the 1970s, guiding the team to a couple of championships in a decade in which the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks were the only teams to win the championship more than once.
Havlicek was a 13-time All-Star, earning 11 All-NBA and eight All-Defensive selections during the course of his illustrious career.
Also Read: Golden State Warriors: Top 5 points leaders.