NBA Draft: 30 greatest draft picks in league history
player. 18. . Small Forward. Ohio State Buckeyes, 1962 (No. 7). John Havlicek. 14
Greatest NBA Draft picks in league history: John Havlicek, Boston Celtics
At The Ohio State University, John Havlicek was a three-sport athlete, and he was great at all of them. In 1962, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, and spent time in their training camp as a wide receiver. Eventually Red Auerbach, who took Havlicek No. 7 in the 1962 NBA Draft, convinced “Hondo” to stick to basketball.
Havlicek joined a loaded Celtics team in the midst of their dynastic run, so initially there was no room for him in the starting lineup. This led to the virtual creation of the “sixth man” role, with Havlicek coming off the bench for the Celtics.
As Bill Russell, Sam Jones and the rest of the “first generation” of Celtics retired, Havlicek was the bridge to the next chapter of Boston basketball that won titles in 1974 and 1976.
In the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals, Havlicek had one of the most iconic plays in league history. In Game 7 and the Celtics up one point, Havlicek stole Philadelphia’s inbounds pass in the closing seconds to seal the win and another trip to the NBA Finals. “Havlicek stole the ball!” may be the most famous radio call in basketball history.
Havlicek is the Celtics’ all-time leader in points and games, totaling 26, 395 in his 16 seasons with the team. 11 times he was named to an All-NBA team, despite spending half of his career coming off the bench, with 13 NBA All-Star selections and eight times on the All-Defensive teams.
The late, great John Havlicek was a special player and an excellent return on investment. It’s a good thing he chose basketball over the Browns.