‘We were doing something special’: Bob Cousy reflects on the history of the Celtics
The 96-year-old Celtics legend helped lead the team to their first NBA championship in 1957.
Banner 18 went up on Tuesday, and with that, the Celtics celebrated their historic NBA championship win from earlier this summer. With celebrations at City Hall Plaza and TD Garden before their season opener against the Knicks, it was truly a moment to reflect on the team’s past as well as future.
Celtics legend Bob Cousy, who helped lead Boston to their first championship in 1957, was among the attendees. The 96-year-old former NBA MVP didn’t want to take away from the glory of the current team, however.
“I’ve had my moment in the sun,” Cousy told the Boston Globe. “Six times we went through this. I am just here to pay tribute to these guys and not involve myself in any other way.”
Cousy ruminated about how much the league has changed since the 1950s and 60s, when grand ceremonies like the one on Tuesday night were unheard of — they would instead raise the banner in an empty arena before the game.
“One of the things that is most meaningful to me when I think about the old days is that we set the table for this. We did think we were doing something special,” the 13-time NBA All-Star said. “I remember when I held out for $9,000 with my first contract. To see what the league has become is really something. Hearing about this team now selling for $5 billion dollars, I can’t relate to that.”
The two things Cousy is most proud of accomplishing with the Celtics is not only being an NBA champion, but also being a champion of social change and civil rights. Boston drafted Chuck Cooper in 1950, the NBA’s first ever Black player, and had the first all-Black starting lineup in 1964. To this day, the Celtics still pride themselves on being at the forefront of addressing social inequities.
“Having set the table for things like that is very meaningful,” Cousy said.
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