Tommy Heinsohn ✝

Tom Heinsohn has been granted Hall of Fame status for his contributions as a player. He has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame for his success as a head coach. He also helped form the NBA Players Association. Heinsohn is the only person to have the distinction of being involved in an official team capacity in each of the Celtics\' 17 championships, as well as each of their 21 NBA Finals appearances. He is currently the color commentator on the Celtics\' television broadcasts on NBC Sports Boston.\n', ' Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Heinsohn was a standout at St. Michael\'s High School in nearby Union City. He accepted a scholarship to Holy Cross and became the school\'s all-time leading scorer with 1,789 points, an average of 22.1 points per game. During his senior year, Heinsohn scored a school record 51 points in a game against Boston College.\n', ' In 1956, Heinsohn was chosen as the Boston Celtics \'regional\', or \'territorial\', draft pick. In his first season, Heinsohn played in an NBA All-Star Game, was named the NBA Rookie of the Year over teammate Bill Russell, and won his first championship ring. He was part of a Celtics squad that won eight NBA titles in nine years, including seven in a row between 1959 and 1965. In NBA history, only teammates Russell and Sam Jones won more championship rings during their playing careers. During his playing career, Heinsohn was named to six All-Star teams. On the day his teammate and fellow Holy Cross Crusader Bob Cousy retired, Heinsohn scored his 10,000th career point. His number 15 was retired by the Celtics in 1965.\n', '