John Havlicek, a basketball Hall of Fame guard who won eight NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, died on Thursday at age 79.
He also was part of the 1960 Ohio State team that won the NCAA championship.
Havlicek remains the Celtics' all-time leader in games played (1270) and points (26,395).
The Celtics issued a statement that read, in part: "John Havlicek is one of the most accomplished players in Boston Celtics history, and the face of many of the franchise's signature moments."
The Celtics selected Havlicek in the first round of the 1962 draft (seventh overall), and he helped lead them to NBA championships in each of his first four seasons and six of his first seven.
The legendary Boston team of the 1960s also featured Bill Russell, KC Jones, Sam Jones, Tom Heinsohn and Satch Sanders.
Havlicek was honoured as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history when the league released the list to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1996.
Reuters
