One of the most decorated players in the history of the NBA, Boston Celtics legend John Havlicek died Thursday from causes that have not yet been revealed. Havlicek was 79 years old.
Havlicek fought a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease but it’s unknown whether this was the direct cause of his death. The Celtics revealed the tragic news on their Twitter account Thursday.
It is with great sadness we have learned that Celtics Legend and Hall of Famer John Havlicek has passed away peacefully today at the age of 79. He will be dearly missed by his Celtics family.
A statement from the Celtics: https://t.co/yqOkZPkbej pic.twitter.com/xlUCKjbKvg
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 26, 2019
The Celtics also released a statement on Havlicek’s death.
He was extraordinarily thoughtful and generous, both on a personal level and for those in need, as illustrated by his commitment to raising money for The Genesis Foundation for Children for over three decades through his fishing tournament. John was kind and considerate, humble and gracious. He was a champion in every sense, and as we join his family, friends, and fans in mourning his loss, we are thankful for all the joy and inspiration he brought to us.
During his playing days, John Havlicek cemented himself as one of the all-time greats and played all 16 seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. Havlicek was named an all-star 13 times and led the Celtics to eight championships during his tenure there, four of them coming in his first four years.
Havlicek was a complete player and helped navigate the Celtics through two separate dynasties in the 1960s and 1970s. He was a gifted scorer that also had a knack for distributing the ball at a stellar rate from his wing position. Havlicek posted career per-game averages of 20.8 points per game, 4.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds.
