Most NBA Championships in History (18)
18 NBA championships – the most in league history.
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Founded in 1946, their 18 NBA championships are the most for any NBA franchise.
- Franchise
- Boston Celtics
- Total Championships
- 18
- First Title Year
- 1957
- Most Recent Championship
- 2024
- Key Dynasty Era
- 1957-1969 (11 titles in 13 years)
- Primary Architect
- Red Auerbach
- Status
- Active Record Holder
Lore & Background
The Celtics' eight consecutive NBA championships from 1959 to 1966 represent the longest consecutive championship winning streak of any major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada to date. Red Auerbach led the Celtics to nine championships, in 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966. Bill Fitch led the Celtics to a championship in 1981. K.C. Jones led the Celtics to two championships, in 1984 and 1986. Doc Rivers led the team to one NBA championship.
In Their Own Story
The air inside TD Garden hangs heavy, not with humidity, but with the weight of history. Above the court, the rafters stretch into shadow, punctuated only by the soft glow reflecting off eighteen pristine banners. A veteran player stands near center court, his hand tracing the faint scuff marks on the parquet—ghosts of legends who walked this same floor decades ago. He looks up, not at the scoreboard, but at the newest banner joining its seventeen brothers in a silent, eternal vigil. In that moment, the silence is louder than any roar; it presses against your chest, a tangible force reminding everyone present that they stand on sacred ground where greatness isn't just expected—it's demanded.
Reader's Guide
The team is owned by Bill Chisolm with Brad Stevens as the general manager. They play their home games in the TD Garden. There have been 18 head coaches for the Boston Celtics franchise. Auerbach is the franchise's all-time leader in the number of regular-season and playoff wins as a coach. Auerbach and Bill Fitch were included in the Top 10 Coaches in NBA history. Fitch was the 1979–80 NBA Coach of the Year. Auerbach was the 1965–66 Coach of the Year. Alvin Julian, Auerbach, Tom Heinsohn, Fitch and Rick Pitino have earned induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as coaches.
Did You Know?
- Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, Tom Sanders, Dave Cowens, K.C. Jones, Chris Ford and M. L. Carr have played and coached for the Celtics.
- John Russell, Alvin Julian, Heinsohn, Sanders, Carr, and John Carroll spent their entire coaching career with the Celtics.
More in Championships & Records
Elsewhere in the Boston Celtics universe
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