Today in Boston Celtics history, the team made history by going with the first all-Black starting five in NBA history in 1964. The Celtics were on the road to play a regular season contest with the (then) St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks when Hall of Fame power forward Tommy Heinsohn ended up being a scratch due to an injury he sustained in a prior contest. In those days, there was a so-called «gentlemen’s agreement» that served as an unspoken accord to always have at least one white player on the court at all times, supposedly in the interest of an imagined racial harmony. But, legendary team manager and head coach Red Auerbach decided to play recently-acquired Willie Naulls in his place, breaking that tacit, racist agreement.
Auerbach claimed he had not intended to make a point with the lineup choice, though the claim is dubious given he’d also intentionally drafted the first Black player — Chuck Cooper — into the league more than a decade earlier. «I wasn’t even aware of it,» related the Celtic coach at the time (via ESPN’s J.A. Adande). «They brought it to my attention later on. All we were trying to do here, all the time, is play the guys that, in our opinion, whether I’m coaching or someone else is coaching, is going to win the ballgame,» he said. «That’s all.»
Advertisement
Besides Naulls, the rest of the starting five that night included Satch Sanders, KC Jones, Sam Jones, and Bill Russell. At first, the game went poorly for the Celtics, the team falling as much as 15 points in the first quarter, the Hawks dominating early. Boston would pull it out in the second half, winning not only that game 97-84 but the team’s next 11 contests as well.
Mar 5, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen on the court before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Historic milestones
It is also the date of Boston forward luminary John Havlicek scoring 42 points against the Seattle SuperSonics in a 122-112 road win in 1969.
Unknown date & location; USA: FILE PHOTO; Baltimore Bullets guard Earl Monroe (10) is defended by Boston Celtics guard John Havlicek (17) at Cincinnati Gardens. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Hondo put up 8 rebounds and 4 assists to go with 17-of-24 from the field and 8-of-12 from the free-throw line in 41 minutes of playing time.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Boston fields NBA’s first All-Black starting five
