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John Havlicek, Boston Celtics and Ohio State great, dies at 79

John Havlicek, the Boston Celtics great whose steal of Hal Green's inbounds pass in the final seconds of the 1965 Eastern Conference final against the Philadelphia 76ers remains one of the most famous plays in NBA history, has died. He was 79.
FILE - In this Jan. 8, 1970 file photo, Boston Celtics' John Havlicek (17) protects the ball with his body from Atlanta Hawks' Walt Hazzard (42) during an NBA basketball game in Boston. The Boston Celtics say Hall of Famer John Havlicek, whose steal of Hal Green’s inbounds pass in the final seconds of the 1965 Eastern Conference finals against the Philadelphia 76ers remains one of the most famous plays in NBA history, has died. The team says Havlicek died Thursday, April 25, 2019 at age 79. (AP Photo/File)

Author: Associated Press | Published: April 25, 2019

BOSTON (AP) — John Havlicek, the Boston Celtics great whose steal of Hal Green's inbounds pass in the final seconds of the 1965 Eastern Conference final against the Philadelphia 76ers remains one of the most famous plays in NBA history, has died. He was 79.

The Celtics said the Hall of Famer died Thursday.

Nicknamed “Hondo” for his resemblance to John Wayne, Havlicek was drafted in the first round in 1962 out of Ohio State by a Celtics team stocked with stars Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Tom Sanders, Tom Heinsohn and Frank Ramsey.

Havlicek went on to win eight NBA championships and an NBA Finals MVP award with Boston, setting Celtics career records for points and games. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.

At Ohio State, he helped lead the Buckeyes to the 1960 national championship.

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