Full list of Celtics retired jersey numbers: Kevin Garnett, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce headline list of exclusive club

Gilbert McGregor

Full list of Celtics retired jersey numbers: Kevin Garnett, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce headline list of exclusive club image

For the first time since 2010, the NBA Finals are back in Boston.

The Celtics' storied history includes 22 trips to the NBA Finals, 17 of which ended with an NBA title. Over the franchise's 75-year history, some of the greatest players to ever play the game suited up in the green and white, contributing to their record-tying 17 titles.

Alongside the 17 NBA championship banners that hang at TD Garden are the numbers — or name — of 24 legends that made their mark in the history of the Celtics franchise.

MORE: When was the last time the Celtics won the championship?

Most recently, Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett was immortalized in Celtics' lore when his jersey was raised to the rafters in March of 2022.

However brief it may have seemed, Garnett made his mark in Boston, winning Defensive Player of the Year of the 2007-08 season, making him the first player in franchise history to win the honor.

Not long after Garnett was crowned as the league's best defender did he help the Celtics win the 2008 NBA championship, the most recent title in franchise history.

As the Celtics look to add another championship banner to the rafters in 2022, look back at the list of historic figures that have received the ultimate honor of having their number hang from the rafters in Boston.

MORE: Watch the NBA Finals live with Sling TV

Boston Celtics retired numbers

Paul-Pierce-jersey-retirement
(Getty Images)

Here is the complete list of every number retired by the Boston Celtics.

No. Name Seasons
00 Robert Parish 1980-1994
1 Walter Brown* 1946-1964
2 Red Auerbach** 1950-2006
3 Dennis Johnson 1983-1990
5 Kevin Garnett 2007-2013
6 Bill Russell 1956-1969
10 Jo Jo White 1969-1979
14 Bob Cousy 1950-1963
15 Tom Heinsohn 1956-1965
16 Tom "Satch" Sanders 1960-1973
17 John Havlicek 1962-1978
18 Dave Cowens 1970-1980
19 Don Nelson 1965-1976
21 Bill Sharman 1950-1961
22 Ed Macauley 1950-1956
23 Frank Ramsey 1954-1964
24 Sam Jones 1957-1969
25 K.C. Jones 1959-1967
31 Cedric Maxwell 1978-1985
32 Kevin McHale 1980-1993
33 Larry Bird 1979-1992
34 Paul Pierce 1998-2013
35 Reggie Lewis 1987-1993
LOSCY*** Jim Loscutoff 1955-1964

Other notable Celtics with jersey retired

No. 6 Bill Russell, won an NBA-record 11 NBA championships and is the namesake of the NBA Finals MVP trophy

No. 31 Cedric Maxwell, 1981 NBA Finals MVP and current radio analyst for the Celtics 

No. 33 Larry Bird, three-time NBA champion and the namesake of the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy

No. 34 Paul Pierce, the most recent Celtic to win NBA Finals MVP, doing so during the team's 2008 NBA title run

*Brown is the founder and the first owner of the Boston Celtics franchise

**No. 2 "signifies that Auerbach is second only to Walter Brown as the most significant person in the history of the Boston Celtics organization"

***Loscutoff wore No. 18  but asked that his number not be retired so that a future player could wear it. No. 18 would later be retired for Cowens.

Why did Kevin Garnett wear No. 5 with the Celtics?

When Garnett joined the Celtics prior to the 2007-08 season, he switched from No. 21 to No. 5. Although the Hall of Famer wore No. 21 during his first 12 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, that number was already retired in Boston for Bill Sharman.

Garnett wore No. 5 for six seasons with the Celtics before switching to No. 2 following his trade to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013.

How many championship rings does Kevin Garnett have?

Garnett won the 2008 NBA championship with the Celtics. During Boston's run to the title, Garnett averaged 20.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in 26 games throughout the 2008 playoffs.

That was Garnett's only championship. He led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in 2010 where they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.