At the start of the first season (1978-79) the Boston Celtics were to play without Hall of Fame small forward John Havlicek since drafting him out of Ohio State in 1962, the team honored the Bridgeport, Ohio native at TD Garden by retiring his No. 17 jersey to the rafters.
Hondo — as Havlicek was sometimes called as a nickname — was at that moment the NBA’s third-leading all-time scorer and had played more games than any player in league history, racking up 8 titles, 13 All-Star bids, 11 All-NBA elections and 8 All-Defensive team nods as one of the greatest players to ever play for Boston, or in the NBA.
To see that historic moment where Havlicek’s jersey was forever immortalized at the old Boston Garden, watch the video embedded below, courtesy of YouTube channel “Classic Sports”.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!