by Tim Gordon
Few franchises in sports can claim a legacy as rich, complicated, and enduring as the Boston Celtics. In a league defined by dynasties and rivalries, the Celtics stand alone, an institution built on banners, legends, and a mystique that transcends the hardwood.
Celtics City sets out to capture that essence in a sweeping nine-part documentary series that doesn’t just recount the stats and trophies, but digs into the very heart of what made, and continues to make, the Celtics one of the most revered and fascinating teams in NBA history.
Celtics City chronicles the saga of the Boston Celtics, the NBA’s most storied franchise, from its founding as one of the league’s original teams to its triumphant 2024 championship. Across nine engrossing episodes, this series captures the mystique of one of the most successful basketball teams in league history, delving deep into the fierce rivalries, defining moments, and societal forces that have shaped the organization’s enduring legacy.
While Red Auerbach didn’t technically start the franchise, he unquestionably laid the blueprint for the greatest run the NBA has ever seen. Under his guidance, the Celtics won an astonishing 11 titles in 13 years. Bob Cousy was Boston’s first true superstar, but the team didn’t truly transform into a dynasty until Bill Russell arrived. Russell’s rookie year brought the franchise its first championship, and while Cousy retired in 1963, Russell remained the soul of the Celtics’ golden era.
The series wisely anchors itself around Russell’s story, which is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. Despite being the face of the franchise and the pillar of its success, Russell endured relentless racism from some in the fan base. Stories shared by his daughter in the documentary, fans breaking into his house, destroying trophies, even defecating in his bed, are infuriating and reveal the painful dichotomy between Russell’s heroics on the court and the hatred he faced off of it. His fraught relationship with the city led Auerbach to make a symbolic gesture: replacing “Boston” on the jerseys with simply “Celtics.”
But Celtics City doesn’t stop at Russell. It explores how the torch passed to John Havlicek, then to the “Hick from French Lick” himself, Larry Bird. Bird’s era, alongside Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, brought three more championships before the Big Three aged out and the franchise entered a prolonged decline. That decline was made even more tragic by the devastating loss of promising young stars like Len Bias, whose shocking death from a cocaine overdose just two days after being drafted in 1986 stunned the sports world, and Reggie Lewis, who collapsed and died at just 27 years old. Even in the new millennium, misfortune struck when Paul Pierce, the team’s next franchise cornerstone, survived a near-fatal stabbing in 2000.
Yet through every high and heartbreaking low, the passion of the fans and the loyalty of the players remained a constant.
Ultimately, whether you bleed green or root for one of the Celtics’ many rivals, this series makes you respect what was built in Beantown: a tradition of excellence, perseverance, and community. And at the center of it all stands the greatest winner in NBA history, THE Bill Russell. Celtics City is an illuminating, at times sobering look at what it means to build a legacy that transcends sport.
Grade: B
