THE FIRST ALL-BLACK STARTING FIVE
History was made on December 26, 1964 when the Boston Celtics started five African American men against the Atlanta Hawks for the first time in NBA history.
Coach Red Auerbach decided to call upon Willie Naulls to replace the injured Tommy Heinsohn as "a prudent coaching decision to move his next-best player up to fill the void."
Coach Red Auerbach's driving force was to win every game that he could and his only concern that day was putting the best team on the floor to win that game and, eventually, another NBA Championship.
Sam Jones
Samuel “Sam” Jones was a shooting guard for the C's throughout his twelve years in the NBA. He is known for his quickness and game-winning shots, especially during the NBA Playoffs.
K.C. Jones
K.C. Jones won eleven of his twelve NBA Championships with the Celtics (eight as a player, one as an assistant coach, and two as a head coach).
Bill Russell
William Felton “Bill” Russell was the team's center during their record-breaking run from 1956 to 1969. He has won the most NBA Championships in the history of the game (11), is a twelve-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on April 28, 1975.
Satch Sanders
Thomas Ernest “Satch” Sanders played throughout his professional basketball career, 1960–1973, with the Boston Celtics as a power forward and is known as one of the greatest defensive forwards.
Willie Naulls
William D. “Willie” Naulls spent his last three professional seasons with the C's, winning three consecutive NBA Championships.
Naulls came off the bench to replace an injured Heinsohn, solidifying the first all-black starting five lineup.
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