Kevin McHale Retirement

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Lore & Background

After a high school career in which he was named Minnesota Mr. Basketball, he attended the University of Minnesota, where he was named to two first-team All Conference teams and set many team records that still stand today. He was then selected third overall in the 1980 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. Spending his first five seasons as the sixth man, he was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in 1984 and 1985. After Cedric Maxwell was traded prior to the 1985–1986 season, McHale became a full-time starter alongside Larry Bird and center Robert Parish, where the three formed what is arguably the greatest frontcourt in NBA history. He won three NBA championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986. Having already played in an All-Star Game as a bench player before becoming a starter, he went on to play in six more All-Star Games and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team seven times. After injuries forced his retirement following the 1992–1993 season, he was later named to both the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.

In Their Own Story

The end of McHale's playing tenure was not a planned celebration but a necessity forced by physical breakdown. After building a reputation as an extremely durable player through his first five seasons, the toll of the game caught up with him. The source notes he missed time in 1986 and ultimately could not continue after the 1992–1993 season. Before this final exit, however, he had established himself as a scoring force, setting the Celtics' single-game record with 56 points on March 3 against the Detroit Pistons. He also recorded 42 points two nights later, totaling 98 consecutive points—a team record that still stands. His transition from bench to starter was pivotal; after Maxwell's departure, McHale averaged better than 20 points for the first time and finished 13th in MVP voting during the championship run of 1986.

Reader's Guide

McHale began working for the Minnesota Timberwolves immediately following his retirement in 1993 (until 2009) and at times as a TV analyst, general manager and head coach. He was head coach of the Houston Rockets from 2011 to 2015 until being fired following a 4–7 start to the 2015–16 season.

Did You Know?

• McHale was born in Hibbing, Minnesota, and is of Croatian descent on his mother's side and Irish on his father's.
• In his senior season at Hibbing High School, he was named Minnesota Mr. Basketball in 1976 and led his team to a runner-up finish in the AA Minnesota State Championship game.
• McHale ranks third in University of Minnesota history in career points (1704) and rebounds (950).
• In 1995, he was selected as the top player in the history of University of Minnesota men's basketball.
• McHale set the Celtics' single-game scoring record with 56 points on March 3, 1985, but Larry Bird later broke that record with 60 points.