The Boston Celtics are one of the founding members and most successful franchises in NBA history. The Celtics own the most wins in NBA history, 95 more than the Los Angeles Lakers, and have the best winning percentage at .596. They also have a league-high 18 NBA titles. However, as one can imagine, the Celtics have had a wealth of great players, with 37 Hall of Famers and six more enshrined in the Springfield (Mass.) building as a coach.
Boston Celtics Top 10 Players Since 2000
However, the Celtics’ success didn’t occur in the 1960s or 1970s; they have been successful in recent years. Since the 1999-2000 season, Boston owns the third-best record at 1203-893 for a .574 winning percentage. The Celtics have been even more successful recently, posting a .637 winning percentage and making 11 straight playoff appearances. They claimed their league-best NBA crown in 2024.
Overall, the Celtics have reached the postseason in 22 of the last 26 campaigns. The Celtics have won two NBA titles in four trips to the Finals and 10 trips to the Eastern Conference championship game. They have won at least one playoff round in 16 of their 22 playoff appearances.
Here is a look at the top 10 players to don the Green and White since the turn of the century.
Starting Five
Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce is a top-five Celtic of all time, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that “The Truth” is at the top of this list. Pierce, a 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, spent 15 of his 19 NBA campaigns in Beantown, with all but two seasons occurring in the 2000s. The 15 years make him the second-longest tenured Celtics player in team history behind John Havlicek, who wore the Green and White uniform for 16 seasons.
Pierce is third on the Celtics in all-time games and second in points. The 10-time All-Star is the franchise’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made and attempted, as well as steals. He also ranks in the top 10 in club history in assists (fifth) and rebounds (seventh).
Jayson Tatum
Jayson Tatum is one of the best players in the league today. While Tatum will only be entering his ninth season in 2025-26, the four-time first-team all-NBA selection is already ninth on the franchise’s scoring list. He is second in three-point makes and attempts, as well as 14th in rebounds and 15th in assists.
Tatum is also the only Celtic who has averaged 30 points per season, which he achieved in the 2022-23 season. Additionally, the 27-year-old forward has finished in the top six in MVP voting each of the past four campaigns and among the top 10 most clutch players the past three seasons. The Celtics are 392-193 in games Tatum has played during the regular season. They also have reached the Eastern Conference finals five times and the NBA Finals twice.
Jaylen Brown
Like Tatum, Jaylen Brown has only worn a Celtics uniform. Brown, the No. 3 pick in 2015, is the Robin to Tatum’s Batman. The 28-year-old has averaged 20 points and five rebounds in each of the last six seasons. The four-time All-Star is third in franchise history in 3-pointers made and No. 14 in scoring.
Tatum and Brown have led the C’s to eight straight postseason appearances, getting out of the first round seven times and reaching the Eastern Conference finals on five occasions. He was named the 2024 NBA Eastern Conference MVP and Finals MVP. The Celtics are 392-210 in games Brown has played in with one NBA title.
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett played for the Celtics towards the end of his career, spending a total of six seasons with the team in Boston. Still, the 2020 Hall of Fame inductee was highly productive, averaging 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.
Garnett was a defensive force for the Celtics and helped them snap a 20-year NBA championship drought in 2008. Garnett averaged a double-double in two of his six seasons in Beantown, earning NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive team four of his six campaigns, being named to the first team three times.
Rajon Rondo
Rajon Rondo was superb in a Celtics uniform, where he spent his first eight-plus seasons. Rondo, whom the Celtics acquired in a 2006 draft-night trade, was the perfect point guard for a team led by Pierce, Garnett, and Ray Allen. While he wasn’t much of a scoring threat, Rondo was a defensive hound and a fantastic playmaker.
In his time in Boston, Rondo earned all-Defensive honors four times, making first team all-Defense twice. He led the league in steals in 2009-10 and was the top assist man in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Overall, Rondo ranks fourth in franchise history in assists and third in steals.
Second Team
Antoine Walker
Antoine Walker may deserve to be a starter on the Celtics’ All 21st-century team. While Walker was highly productive in his seven-plus seasons in Boston, only four of those years fell in the 2000s. He earned two all-star berths after the turn of the century. In four years between 1999 and 2003, he totaled 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal in each of those campaigns.
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving spent only two seasons in Beantown. However, Irving was excellent during his time with the Celtics, averaging 24.1 points and 6.1 assists, with shooting splits of 48.9/40.4/88.1. He earned two All-Star nods and doled out a career-best 6.9 assists while earning second-team All-NBA honors for the only time in his career in 2018-19. The Celtics went 104-60 and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals with Irving on the squad.
Al Horford
Although he joined the Celtics later in his career, Al Horford has been a vital part of the Celtics’ recent success. Horford has anchored the Celtics’ defense in his seven seasons in Boston and earned all-star honors during the 2017-18 season. He ranks sixth in franchise history in blocks and averaged 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 blocks during his tenure in the Green and White. Additionally, he is 21st on the club’s list in assists.
Derrick White
Derrick White is one of the pre-eminent two-way guards in basketball today. While only spending four seasons with the Celtics, White’s career has taken off since coming to Boston. He has either earned second-team All-Defensive honors or been named among the top 10 defenders in the league in each of the past three campaigns.
White, coming off a career season in 2024-25, has become a reliable third offensive option and 3-point shooter. White averages 14.2 points, 4.5 assists, 4.o rebounds with shooting splits of 45/38.2/86.9 with the Celtics. He was a big reason that the Celtics took home the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2024.
Marcus Smart
Marcus Smart spent nine campaigns with the Celtics. Smart served as the C’s shutdown defender before White came to town, and was a glue guy who could carry the offense on occasion. He was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22 and a three-time league Hustle Award winner.
Smart compiled 10.6 points, 4.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while wearing the Green and White. He ranks fourth on the franchise list in steals and 11th in assists.
Honorable Mention: Avery Bradley, Eric Williams, Ray Allen
Doc Rivers, Coach
Doc Rivers gets the nod as coach over Brad Stevens. Rivers got the ball rolling of the Celtics’ recent success, turning a 22-win 2003-04 squad into a 44-win and playoff team the following season. He is the longest-tenured Celtics coach this century and was at the helm when they ended their title drought. The Celtics have had nine coaches over the last 26 campaigns.
Rivers posted a winning record in seven of his nine seasons, going 416-305, which puts him third in wins and eighth in winning percentage. He also had a 59-47 season record with two NBA Finals appearances and one title.
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