John Havlicek

• Born: April 8, 1940
• Birthplace: Martins Ferry, Ohio
• Died: April 25, 2019
• Place of death: Jupiter, Florida

Sport: Basketball

Early Life

John Havlicek was born on April 8, 1940, in Martins Ferry, Ohio. He spent his childhood in Lansing, Ohio, a town of about seven hundred people who were mostly employed in the nearby coal mines and steel mills. John was the youngest of three children of Frank and Amanda Havlicek. His father had come to the United States from Czechoslovakia at the age of eleven, and his mother was of Croatian descent. The family operated a grocery store in Lansing and provided John an excellent childhood. When Havlicek was six years old, he discovered his talent for running by running nonstop between mileposts along the highway. Running gave him a sense of accomplishment and became an enjoyable routine. The passion for running and the ensuing stamina developed as a youth would serve as his trademark for his entire athletic career.

The Road to Excellence

Havlicek participated in high school sports in nearby Bridgeport, Ohio. He excelled in football, basketball, and baseball and was selected to the all-state teams for each sport.

As quarterback for the football team, Havlicek proved to be a hard runner, an exceptional passer, a master ball handler, and an exemplary leader. In basketball, he was an offensive star who excelled even more at defense. He averaged almost 30 points per game, but he was better known for his defensive play. In baseball, he played all the infield positions and had a .460 batting average. Had he not entered college, he undoubtedly would have become a professional baseball player.

Havlicek received basketball and football scholarship offers from more than thirty-five universities. He decided to attend Ohio State University and accepted its basketball scholarship. The summer before attending Ohio State, he played on the Ohio all-star basketball team. Mel Nowell, a member of the team, gave Havlicek the nickname “Hondo.” Mel claimed that Havlicek resembled John Wayne, who had played a character named Hondo in one of his recent movies.

At Ohio State, Havlicek devoted himself to playing defense and soon became an important part of the team. He was always assigned to guard the opponents’ best player, whether the player was a guard, forward, or center. He also made important offensive contributions, averaging 17 points per game during his senior season. In his all-American senior year, Havlicek was voted team captain. Ohio State won three Big Ten Conference Championships during his three years of varsity basketball (1960–1962). In 1960, his team won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Basketball Tournament. In 1961 and 1962, his team again advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The Emerging Champion

In 1962, Havlicek was drafted by the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He reported to the Browns during the summer but was cut during the preseason. He proceeded to report to the Celtics, at the time the best team in the league and coming off a fourth consecutive championship. Even though the team was loaded with outstanding veterans such as Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, Satch Sanders, and Frank Ramsey, Havlicek established himself in an important role. He did not start, but he came off the bench to bolster the team. Havlicek averaged 14 points per game in his rookie season. He also used his running ability and endurance to establish a style of constant movement on offense and defense. On offense, his movement without the ball enabled him to be in position to take good shots and get rebounds. His defensive pressure wore down opponents.

Within three seasons, Havlicek established himself as the league’s premier "sixth man," or top bench player. Usually during the first quarter of the game, he would replace one of the starters and lift the team with his tenacious defense and consistent offense. He worked in the off-season to improve his ballhandling and scoring so he could play guard as well as forward. Havlicek’s presence on the Celtics helped them to win another four consecutive championships.

Havlicek turned in several outstanding plays during this championship run. He is probably best remembered, however, for his play in the 1964–1965 Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. In the decisive final game, Havlicek intercepted an inbound pass under the 76ers’ basket with five seconds remaining to preserve the Celtics’ 110–109 victory. The play set off a mob celebration and was immortalized by Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most, who shouted over the radio, “Havlicek stole the ball. He stole the ball!”

Continuing the Story

Although the Celtics did not win the championship in 1966–1967, they were back as champions in 1967–1968 and 1968–1969. Again, Havlicek was an important part of the team; he was the team captain and the leader in assists and scoring.

Havlicek took on a new role for the Celtics beginning in the 1969–1970 season. All the other veteran players from the earlier championship teams had retired. Havlicek was no longer the young supporting figure on the Celtics; he was the old veteran. He was no longer the sixth man; he was a starter. As team captain, he was given the responsibility to rebuild the Celtics. During this time, the fledgling American Basketball Association (ABA) attempted to persuade NBA stars to switch to the new basketball league. Havlicek was offered a contract with more money, but showed his loyalty to the Celtics by staying with the team, and he received a substantial salary increase.

Rebuilding the team was difficult; the team finished with a losing record and did not make the playoffs. But under Havlicek’s leadership, and with the acquisition of players such as Dave Cowens, Don Chaney, and Jo Jo White, the Celtics improved and again became serious contenders for the title. In 1973–1974 and 1975–1976, Havlicek led the Celtics back to championship status. He was named most valuable player in the 1974 NBA playoffs. By this time, his endurance was legendary in the NBA. Furthermore, he had become one of the league’s highest scorers.

In 1978, after sixteen years with the Celtics, Havlicek retired. Including playoffs, he had played in more games (1,442) than any other player at the time, scored more than 30,000 points, grabbed more than 9,000 rebounds, and given out almost 7,000 assists. He had been a part of eight NBA Championship teams.

In 1980, Havlicek was named to the NBA thirty-fifth anniversary all-time team. In 1996, during the celebration of the golden anniversary of the NBA, he was selected as one of the fifty greatest NBA players of all time. In 1999, he was named one of the twenty best NBA players of all time. During his retirement, he continued to be recognized by many as a goodwill ambassador for NBA basketball. He gave his best every time he took the court and continued to do so as he participated in community activities and charitable events. In 1999, former New York Knicks star and politician Bill Bradley said that of all the NBA players he had defended, he most hated to guard Havlicek. Former teammate and NBA coach Dave Cowens suggested that Havlicek’s jersey number, 17, should be retired throughout the NBA (it was retired by the Celtics). Another great compliment came on the night of his retirement, when Celtics general manager and former coach Red Auerbach stated that he would be the happiest man in the world if he had a son just like John.

Even while playing Havlicek had pursued business opportunities during the basketball offseason, and he continued those ventures in retirement. He also invested in the fast-food chain Wendy's, and owned several franchises. He maintained a relatively low profile in the basketball world, though he continued to be honored at Celtics events over the decades. In his later years Havlicek was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He died at the age of seventy-nine on April 25, 2019, in Florida.

Summary

John Havlicek was in many ways an ideal basketball player. His all-out effort on defense and offense and his versatility made him one of the finest players in the history of the NBA. His exemplary personality and lifestyle provided an excellent role model for youth. In 1984, Havlicek’s contributions to the NBA were formally recognized when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

Araton, Harvey. "John Havlicek, a Dynamo in Two Eras of Celtics Glory, Dies at 79." The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/sports/basketball/john-havlicek-dead-boston-celtics-hall-of-famer.html. Accessed 7 July 2020.

Auerbach, Red, and John Feinstein. Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game. Boston: Little, Brown, 2004.

Bjarkman, Peter C. Boston Celtics Encyclopedia. Champaign, Ill.: Sports, 2002.

Hareas, John. NBA’s Greatest. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2003.

"Legends Profile: John Havlicek." NBA History, 2020, www.nba.com/history/legends/profiles/john-havlicek. Accessed 7 July 2020.

Shouler, Kenneth A. The Experts Pick Basketball’s Best Fifty Players in the Last Fifty Years. Lenexa, Kans.: Addax, 1998.