The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league’s original eight teams, the team play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The Celtics are regarded as the most successful basketball team in NBA history; the franchise has won the most championships in the NBA with 17 (accounting for 23.9 percent of all NBA championships since the league’s founding), and currently, hold the record for the most recorded wins of any NBA team.
Boston Celtics Team Salaries 2019-20
| Player | Age | Avg. Salary |
| Kemba Walker | 29 | $35,197,650 |
| Gordon Hayward | 29 | $31,957,493 |
| Jaylen Brown | 23 | $26,750,000 |
| Marcus Smart | 25 | $12,999,975 |
| Jayson Tatum | 21 | $7,518,330 |
| Jaylen Brown | 23 | $5,351,067 |
| Daniel Thesis | 27 | $5,000,000 |
| Enes Kanter | 27 | $4,886,175 |
| Romeo Langford | 20 | $3,544,800 |
| Robert Williams | 22 | 1,873,960 |
| Vincent Poirier | 26 | $2,562,500 |
| Grant Williams | 20 | $2,439,300 |
| Carsen Edwards | 21 | $1,509,543 |
| Semi Ojeleye | 24 | $1,429,551 |
| Javonte Green | 26 | $1,208,146 |
| Brad Wanamaker | 30 | $1,445,697 |
| Tremont Waters | 21 | – |
| Tacko Fall | 23 | – |
The Celtics have a notable rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won 16 NBA championships, second behind the Celtics. The rivalry was heavily highlighted throughout the 1960s and 1980s. The franchise has played the Lakers a record 12 times in the NBA Finals (including their most recent appearances in 2008 and 2010), of which the Celtics have won nine. Four Celtics players (Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Dave Cowens, and Larry Bird) have won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for an NBA record total of 10 MVP awards. Both the nickname “Celtics” and their mascot “Lucky the Leprechaun” are a nod to Boston’s historically large Irish population.
