Ranking the 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old
player. 18. . SF. Boston Celtics. John Havlicek. 27
The 30 best NBA seasons from players over 35 years old — 27. John Havlicek, 1975-76 (36)
The Boston Celtics dominated the NBA in the late 1950s and 1960s, winning 11 titles across 13 seasons. Players such as Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and K.C. Jones defined that run of championships, the greatest such run in modern sports history. Later, in the 1980s, Larry Bird was a part of three title teams. Between the two eras, the Celtics still won two titles in the 1970s, due in large part to John Havlicek, the all-time great who bridged the two eras.
The 6-5 wing out of Ohio State joined the Celtics in 1962 and won six titles as he transitioned from a bench option to a super-sub to the team’s top offensive option. He then carried the torch as that team retired or moved on, and was the team’s leader in win shares for the next six seasons, including a title in 1974.
By the 1975-76 season, Havlicek turned 36 but was still producing at a high level. He had younger help such as Dave Cowens and Jo Jo White, but he was still the leader of the team. He put up reasonable averages of 17.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game during the regular season. The Celtics finished with 54 wins, the top mark in the Eastern Conference. A reduced Havlicek — affectionately called “Hondo” by teammates and fans — was a defensive force even at 35, making the All-Defense team for the eighth consecutive time.
In the postseason the Celtics were once again a force to be reckoned with, topping the Phoenix Suns in a wild six-game series in the NBA Finals. Havlicek would retire after one more season, but in a way this season was his “going out on top” as a force in the NBA. He ceded minutes and touches to his teammates, brought it defensively every night, and kept the Celtics’ winning culture going for one more year and one more title.