Hall of Famer Heinsohn, ‘ the ultimate Celtic,’ dies

Tommy Heinsohn, who as a Boston Celtics player, coach and broadcaster over more than 60 years was with the team for all 17 of its NBA championships, died Tuesday. He was 86.

“This is a devastating loss,” the team’s owners said in a statement. “Tommy was the ultimate Celtic. For the past 18 years, our ownership group has relied hugely on Tommy’s advice and insights and have reveled in his hundreds of stories about Red Auerbach, Bill Russell,

and how the Celtics became a dynasty. He will be remembered forever.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hailed Heinsohn for being “synonymous with success,” noting that he was one of the few basketball greats inducted to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, before continuing his career in broadcasting.

“Celtics games will not be the same without Tommy, and he will be dearly missed by those who share his fervor for basketball,” Silver said.

A Holy Cross alum who was a territorial draft pick by the Celtics in 1956, Heinsohn beat out teammate Russell for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award that season and had 39 points with 23 rebounds in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the St. Louis Hawks.

It was the franchise’s first title — and the first of eight in nine years for Heinsohn and Russell. Heinsohn was the team’s leading scorer in four of the championship seasons.

He retired in 1965 with totals of 12,194 points and 5,749 rebounds and remained with the team as a broadcaster. Celtics patriarch Auerbach tabbed him to be the head coach in 1969, succeeding Russell.

Heinsohn was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1973, when the team won 68 games. The

Celtics added championships in 1974 and ’ 76. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1986 and as a coach in 2015, just the fourth person elected as both.

Shortly after retiring as a coach in 1979, he rejoined the team’s broadcasts, on which his unapologetic homerism endeared him to Celtics fans ever since.