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Top 5 NBA Draft moments in Boston Celtics history, from Auerbach to Ainge

By Caden Charpentier

Boston Celtics (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Boston Celtics (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Boston Celtics Mandatory Credit: Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1: 1956 Draft, Red Auerbach selects Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, and KC Jones

There is no hesitation about what No. 1 is. There is no dynasty in the history of American sports that matches the success of these Celtics teams. April 30, 1956, in a draft that featured 14 rounds and 92 selections by eight teams, Auerbach took the entire league to school. Only five players from that draft class appeared in at least one All-Star Game, Boston took three of them. Before the draft even started, Tommy Heinsohn, the eventual Rookie of the Year was grabbed by the Boston Celtics through their “territorial pick” (the NBA’s way between 1950-1966 of trying to gain the support of fans who lived near the teams’ market).

After that, Auerbach had a lot of hoops to jump through in order to lock up the player he knew would define the identity of this franchise, especially defensively. The head coach made two deals, one with the Rochester Royals who had the No. 1 pick, and one with the St. Louis Hawks, the holders of the next selection. It is rumored that the Royals, today’s Sacramento Kings, even rated Russell highly. Duquesne guard Si Green was at the top of their list, but that was not good enough for Auerbach. According to Boston lore, Red sent the Ice Capades to Rochester for the Royals word that they would not take Russell No. 1. The Boston Celtics had solved the next problem by dealing away St. Louis native Ed Macauley to his hometown team along with Cliff Hagan for the selection that turned to the 11-time champion.

Boston was not even done there. With the 13th overall pick, the Cs added Russell’s teammate, K.C. Jones. All three played in Boston for their entire careers and would go on to coach the club at some point down the line. 11 out of the next 13 campaigns after that 1956 draft ended up with the Cs as world champions. On and off the floor, these three legends defined what it meant to be a Celtic. The fact that they were all in the same draft is remarkable.