GOAT Conversations: Let's Talk About John Havlicek
Oct 28, 2025
GOAT Conversations is a series of articles on all-time greats who, for one reason or another, are not mentioned frequently enough in debates about the greatest NBA player of all time.
It is no exaggeration to say that John Havlicek is criminally overlooked.
In the 79-year history of the NBA, his championship resume is frequently cast aside while fans constantly glorify six-time winners Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Within the Boston Celtics’ pantheon of all-time greats, the likes of Larry Bird and Bill Russell are exalted, while Havlicek’s legacy is regarded as (and there’s no other word for it) an afterthought.
NBA fans need to talk more about Havlicek. ASAP.
No matter what LeBron James says about the supposed irrelevance of ring culture, Havlicek deserves tremendous credit for reaching the NBA’s mountaintop eight times. In the early 60s, the 6-foot-5 forward out of Ohio State was a complementary (but nevertheless prolific) piece next to the Celtics’ main man, Russell. Havlicek’s numbers would improve, and towards the end of the decade, he was the team’s leading scorer in both the regular season and the playoffs.
But Hondo wasn’t a one-trick pony by any means. Beginning in the 1969–70 season, Havlicek made eight straight appearances on the NBA’s All-Defensive Team. By the 70s, he had established himself as a quintessential two-way player who controlled games with his impact on both ends of the floor.
Long after Russell called it a career, Havlicek was still propelling the Celtics to championship heights. In 1974, when the Celtics were clearly his team, Havlicek won his seventh NBA title and captured Finals MVP honors. Two years later, he would reach the summit once again, capping off a season in which he bagged an All-NBA Second Team selection, an All-Star nod, and yet another berth on the All-Defensive Team.
Havlicek, then, was both a team player and a franchise player that the Celtics could rely on. In the vast expanse of the NBA’s history, his former teammates Russell and Sam Jones are the only players to have won more championships in their playing careers. But Hondo was no spare tire. For all his contributions to a rich NBA dynasty, John Havlicek owns a rightful spot in the GOAT conversation.
