Ranking the 50 greatest NBA players of all time

21. John Havlicek

• Resume: 16 seasons, 8 NBA championships, 1 NBA Finals MVP Award, 11-time All-NBA selection, 13-time NBA All-Star, 8-time NBA All-Defensive Team, Boston Celtics’ all-time leading scorer, Hall-of-Famer
• Stats: 20.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, .439/—/.815 shooting splits, 17.5 career PER, 131.7 win shares

Hondo trails only Bill Russell and Sam Jones in the “RINGGGZZZ” conversation. He posted an unblemished 8-0 record in the NBA Finals and played more than 40 minutes per game for five straight seasons when the Celtics needed him to pick up the scoring load. He completely rose to the challenge, averaging 25.4 points per game while logging more minutes than there are words in this piece. So why don’t more people include John Havlicek among the greatest players of all time?

Like Sam Jones, Dave Cowens and even Bob Cousy, Havlicek is sometimes overshadowed by Bill Russell’s accomplishments. However, that seems silly when you recall not only how many clutch baskets Hondo made for eight championship teams, but also that he’s the all-time leading scorer for a franchise that’s seen the likes of Russell, Larry Bird, Cooz, Paul Pierce and countless others.

Havlicek played at a frenetic pace that opponents couldn’t keep up with, he was a great defender who could play multiple positions and he just never seemed to get tired. Regardless of era, Havlicek was one of the greatest athletes in league history and his ability to make big plays and take over in crunch-time earned him his “Hondo” moniker, the nickname of John Wayne.

Simply put, he did everything the Celtics needed him to do to keep winning titles. Hondo was more than part of a dynasty, he was a driving force behind it. Winning titles 13 years apart is a nearly impossible feat, but Hondo accomplished it. That’s just one of many reasons John Havlicek is one of the most underrated NBA legends of all time.