On October 22, 2024, the Boston Celtics welcomed their fans back to TD Garden in grand fashion, celebrating their recent historic championship run. They received championship rings and celebrated by hoisting the franchise’s 18th banner high in the rafters. The scene from the event brought out legendary players, current stars, and fervent fans. Collectively, they evoked a warm wave of nostalgia, harkening back to the depth of the team’s storied history.
In attendance was none other than Celtics legend Bob Cousy, 96, and Satch Sanders, 86. They both represent the long term impact of the Celtics. Their personal and artistic backgrounds revealed a legacy worth celebrating. It featured the likes of Cedric Maxwell, who continued Cousy’s lineage at the position throughout the team’s glory years in the 1980s. Even amid this somber backdrop, the gathering was a high-energy powerful celebration. Amongst them are Paul Westphal, who died in 2021, and Togo Palazzi, Paul Silas, and Ron Watts who all left us in 2022.
Jayson Tatum, set for what many thought would be his breakout season, sat at the podium discussing how special the day was. The ring ceremony, celebrating last season’s title run, took place as the team was making a run at repeating that title in 2023. Tatum’s sentiment was echoed as he walked through the Westin hotel in Memphis, just days after the event, pondering the weight of those who had contributed to the franchise’s history.
As attendees celebrated historical victories, they were sobered by the reality of a dying generation, as they were forced to remember their deceased colleagues. In that moment, Tatum asked a deep and introspective question about the influence of Satch Sanders. “Did any of the deaths really hit you differently?” he asked, highlighting how deeply the losses resonate within the close-knit community of past and present players.
Bill Russell’s legacy was felt in other ways at the event, too. The tributes told of his story that brought home to those gathered his origins as the son of an enslaved man, born in 1830. Russell’s three memoirs paint different but complementary pictures of his life and career. More than anything else, they offer an amazing look at his life inside and outside of the game.
Satch Sanders was nearly brought to tears as he remembered his time with Cousy. He said to them, “You ain’t going no where,” expressing their everlasting relationship. In a different and more carefree anecdote, he said, “Cooz, that happens,” as they both burst into fits of chuckles about their past lives.
The retrospective celebration was a way to honor what had been done in the past and highlighted the present, with current player Sam Cassell. Cassell celebrated his third championship win overall and second as an assistant coach. This added victory creates another thrilling chapter in his dynamic and successful first tenure with the Celtics.
An unintended (but wonderful) outcome of that nostalgia tour was the revelation that Havlicek had a lovely tradition of singing “Because of You” to his wife annually. The scoreboard that hung overhead was a stark reminder of personal loss. It was the last time Tye saw his father alive.
TWU’s Jeff Twiss put the burden that weighed on attendees just as well. We’ve been the keeper of the flame, he continued, crediting his staff with safeguarding the Celtics’ rich tradition.
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