The story behind the Irish name, green jersey and lucky mascot of the Boston Celtics
The basketball team honors the Irish community in the city of Boston
The basketballers of the Boston Celtics wear a green jersey and the team’s name is a nod to the Irish community in the city of Boston.
Irish immigration to Boston was at its highest in the early 20th century and the Irish American population exploded. Soon after, in 1946, the basketball team named the Boston Celtics was formed.
Owner Walter Brown started the team and considered named such as Whirlwinds, Unicorns and Olympics before settling on the Boston Celtics. He allegedly pitched: “The Celtics.. Boston is full of Irishmen. We’ll put them in green uniforms and call them the Boston Celtics.”
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The name was also an ode to the Original Celtics team in New York City, in the 1920s. This team won about 90 percent of their games and finished 1922–1923 with the unbelievable record of 193–11–1. PR officer Howie McHugh was reportedly not on board with the nickname, but was unable to change owner Brown’s mind.
The Celtic’s first coach, Red Auerbach, commissioned his graphic designer brother to create a mascot that encapsulated the spirit of the newly formed team. It depicted all of the Irish stereotypes that were prominent in the 1950s, including a leprechaun, green, shamrock clothing, and a pipe. He also holds a wooden walking stick called a shillelagh, which is a blackthorn stick typically held by a leprechaun in Irish folklore.
Fans felt the mascot, who was christened “Lucky”, brought the newly formed team good luck as they won their first championship in 1957.
Around 20% of Bostonians claim Irish ancestry, according to the most recent Census. It remains one of the most Irish cities in the US, competing with New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.
For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here.
Celtics trade rumors: Brad Stevens expected to seek bench help (report)
Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens speaks at a news conference during the NBA basketball team’s media day, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)AP
Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com
The Celtics have gotten off to the best start in the Eastern Conference through 20 games but that isn’t expected to keep Brad Stevens quiet in the trade market according to one NBA insider. Shams Charania of Stadium spoke about what he anticipates will be Boston’s trade intentions in the weeks and months to come in an appearance on Fanduel TV on Tuesday morning.
“The Celtics gave a couple of first round picks in the Jrue Holiday trade but they still have a few left over,” Charania said on Run It Back. “I expect the Celtics to be active in the trade market as we get closer to February, to try to see if they can beef up their bench rotation.”
However, there’s a case to be made that Boston could use a scoring boost off the bench since the second unit is collectively averaging just 25.7 points per game, which ranks 29th in the NBA through 20 games. The return of Porzingis to the lineup may help things on the front but Charania expects that to be an area that will need to be continually addressed as the team tries to tread cautiously with him given his history of injury woes.
Ultimately, Boston has the tools to be creative in the months to come to put the finishing touches on their roster. They already have an open roster spot available along with a Grant Williams TPE worth $6.2 million. With a bevy of leftover draft picks also still in the team’s chest of assets, look for Stevens to be aggressive in trying to create a well-rounded roster that can withstand an injury or two as trade season kicks off on December 15th.
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