John J. Havlicek

While aptly described as soft-spoken and modest, John Havlicek is regarded as the best sixth man in NBA history. "Hondo," who popularized the integral role of the sixth man, was a collegiate star at Ohio State. An All-America and All-Big Ten selection in 1962, Hondo teamed with Larry Siegfried and fellow Hall of Famers Jerry Lucas and Bob Knight to land Ohio State the 1960 NCAA championship. Havlicek combined his running ability and endurance to establish a style of constant movement on offense and defense that frustrated opponents and added to the Boston Celtics magic. Havlicek never stopped from the opening tip to the final buzzer, running circles around the opponent. From the day he arrived in Boston, Havlicek was a scoring threat, and became the first player to score 1,000 points in16 consecutive seasons. During his 16 years with the Boston Celtics, coach Red Auerbach described Havlicek as the "guts of the team."