John Havlicek, Celtics great with mighty steal, dies at 79

John Havlicek's legacy was built over 16 years with the Boston Celtics, eight of them as NBA champions, making him among the best to ever play the game.
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One play immortalized him forever.

"Havlicek stole the ball! "Havlicek stole the ball!" Celtics radio announcer Johnny Most screamed, a moment that remains among the famous plays in NBA history.

Havlicek died Thursday in Jupiter, Florida, the Celtics said. He was 79. The cause of death wasn't immediately available. The Boston Globe said he had Parkinson's disease.

Voted one of the NBA's 50 greatest players, Havlicek won eight titles with Boston and his steal of Hal Greer's inbounds pass helped the Celtics hold off Philadelphia in the 1965 Eastern Conference final. He entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.

"John Havlicek is one of the most accomplished players in Boston Celtics history, and the face of many of the franchise's signature moments," the Celtics said in a statement. "He was a champion in every sense, and as we join his family, friends, and fans in mourning his loss, we are thankful for all the joy and inspiration he brought to us."

Born April 8, 1940, in Martins Ferry, Ohio, Havlicek became a standout athlete at Bridgeport High School in the coal-mining town of 2,500 near Wheeling, West Virginia.

Havlicek was also an outstanding football and baseball player in high school and was given a tryout by the Cleveland Browns after graduating from college.

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