The Celtics are among the most storied franchises not only in the NBA, but in all of sports. Unsurprisingly, some of the league’s best defenders have suited up in the green and white during their playing days. Read on to see the litany of Celtics who have been named First Team All Defense.
Note that the NBA All-Defensive teams began being named in the 1968-69 season.
John Havlicek – Five times (1972-76)
Hondo was instrumental in helping the Celtics remain elite after the Bill Russell-Red Auerbach era that established them as the preeminent franchise in the 1950s and 1960s. Havlicek, in his 10th season, made his first All-Defensive team and showed the league that his motor was not slowing down any time soon. That was the first of five straight appearances on the league’s First-Team All-Defensive team.
He wasn’t just a great defender, though. Havlicek averaged 20.8 points for his career and 22.1 points per game during his impressive stretch of First Team All Defense performances. Havlicek’s number 17 is hanging in the rafters at TD Garden as one of 22 retired numbers.
Kevin McHale – Three times (1986-88)
McHale was a defensive linchpin during the Celtics’ second dynastic run in the 1980s. A two-time 6th Man of the Year, McHale stepped into the starting lineup during the legendary 1986 season and earned his first nod as a First Teamer on the All-Defense team. He averaged 2.0 blocks and 0.4 steals per game on the defensive side while also putting up 21.2 points per game.
McHale would go on to repeat as a First-Team All-Defense performer each of the next two seasons and added a pair of Second-Team All-Defense nods in 1989 and 1990. The Hall of Famer is considered one of the best all-around power forwards ever.
Kevin Garnett – Three times (2008, 2009, 2011)
KG helped fuel the Celtics’ turnaround and end their 20+ year title drought when he came over from the Timberwolves in the 2008 season. Garnett won Defensive Player of the Year in his first season with the club while finishing third in MVP voting. The magnitude of his addition to the lineup helped Boston win their first championship since the 1980s.
Garnett wasn’t done yet, though. He repeated as a First-Team All-Defense honoree the following season and laid claim to that accomplishment one more time in 2011. Overall, Garnett made first or second team All-Defense 12 times in his storied career.
Marcus Smart – Three times (2019, 2020, 2022)
Smart was a great scorer during his time at Oklahoma State who transformed his game at the next level, becoming one of the most tenacious backcourt defenders of his era. The Celtics had plenty of reliable scorers on hand during Smart’s time in Boston, so he took to the defensive end to make his contributions with three First Team All-Defense selections.
The three such selections came in a four-year span between 2019 and 2022, culminating with Smart winning Defensive Player of the Year and helping get the Celtics to the NBA Finals. Smart would play one more season with the Celtics before making stops with multiple other clubs
Rajon Rondo – Two times (2010, 2011)
Rondo had a seamless transition to the league from his playing days at Kentucky as he earned Rookie of the Year consideration in 2007 and Defensive Player of the Year votes in his second year. Rondo then became established as a true lockdown defender and by his fourth season, he was named First Team All-Defense.
Rondo accomplished that feat two years in a row while finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and garnering MVP consideration in 2011. He led the league in steals (2.3) in 2010 and repeated that average the following year, but Chris Paul won the steals crown that season.
Paul Silas – Two times (1975, 1976)
Silas was a terrific player before embarking on a lengthy coaching career. The Creighton product began his career with the St. Louis Hawks and Phoenix Suns before heading to Boston for a four-year stint in 1972-73. He had already been named Second Team All-Defense twice in Phoenix before becoming a Celtic.
Silas’ defense reached another level in the mid-1970s when he was a First Team All-Defense honoree in back-to-back seasons while also garnering some MVP votes in 1976. That 1976 season was particularly special as Silar and the Celtics won the NBA championship.
Avery Bradley – 2016
Bradley had an excellent seven-year stint with the Celtics in which he established himself as a defensive standout. He earned Defensive Player of the Year consideration early in his career, receiving votes in 2012 and 2013. However, Bradley took his game to another level in 2016.
That season, Bradley not only averaged a then-career high of 15.2 points per game, he also was named First Team All Defense and finished sixth in DPOY voting. Bradley would go on to spend one more season with the C’s before making stops with bos Los Angeles teams, Detroit, Houston, Memphis and Miami.
Dennis Johnson – 1987
D.J. was well known as a defensive stopper before he got to Boston. He had been named First Team All-Defense in five consecutive seasons prior to landing in Boston from Phoenix. Johnson was a huge contributor on two Celtics championship teams (1984, 1986) but his best defensive season with the team came in 1987. That season, Johnson joined teammate Kevin McHale as the only teammates to make the All-Defensive First team.
Dave Cowens – 1976
Cowens was a huge part of the Celtics’ identity in the 1970s and helped the team navigate the post-Bill Russell era. He was a eight-time All-Star in his 10 seasons with Boston who routinely finished in the top five of MVP voting.
His high watermark defensively came in 1976 when he was named First Team All Defense and finished third in MVP voting. Teammates Paul Silas and John Havlicek also made First Team All-Defense that season as the Celtics went on to win the title in six games over the Suns.
Bill Russell – 1969
It may seem strange to see an all-time list, let alone a Celtics all-time list, and only see Russell listed with one accolade. In this case, it’s likely because the honor did not start until the 1968-69 season. This was Russell’s last season, so it’s also true that Russ made 100 percent of the All-Defense first teams for which he was eligible.
Though Russell only has one of these honors in his trophy case, he also has 11 NBA championships and five MVPs.