The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA — the league that would become today’s NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history.
1985: Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird shoots during game. Mandatory Credit: Allsport /Allsport
To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
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With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.
And for today’s article, we will continue with the fourth of four people to wear the No. 33, Hall of Fame Boston forward alum Larry Bird. After ending his college career at Indiana State, Bird was picked up with the sixth overall selection of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Celtics.
The West Baden, Indiana native played his entire 13-season career with Boston, retiring from the sport afterward with three titles, a dozen All-Star nods, 10 All-NBA teams, and too many other accolades to list.
During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Bird wore only jersey No. 33 and put up 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics jersey history No. 33 – Larry Bird (1978-92)