Kevin McHale

Verified Timeline

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 six 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

McHale's scoring prowess exploded during the 1984–1985 season. On March 3 against the Detroit Pistons, he delivered his greatest scoring night, setting the Celtics' single-game record with 56 points. Just two nights later, he scored 42 points against the New York Knicks; these 98 combined points in consecutive games remain a Celtics' record. Nine days after McHale's 56-point performance, Larry Bird set a new mark with 60 points versus Atlanta. Earlier, in his rookie season, McHale helped save a Game 6 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals by rejecting an Andrew Toney shot and securing the rebound with 16 seconds left to protect Boston's one-point lead. In the 1984 NBA Finals against the Lakers, after a hard foul on Kurt Rambis touched off a bench-clearing scuffle in Game 4, McHale played a pivotal role as Boston won in overtime to tie the series, eventually prevailing in seven games for their 15th championship. In the 1986 Finals against Houston, McHale led all scorers with an average of 25.8 points per game.

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 to Paul Austin McHale and Josephine Patricia Starcevic in Hibbing, Minnesota.
• 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.
• He is of Croatian descent on his mother's side and Irish on his father's.
• McHale scored 56 points on March 3 versus the Detroit Pistons, but the Celtics' single-game scoring record is 60 points by Larry Bird.
• He was named to the NBA's All-Rookie First Team after his first season.