Today in Boston Celtics history: Banner 16 won vs. Rockets; Larry Bird signs

Justin Quinn, Celtics WireMon, June 8, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC

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Today in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise won its 16th championship in 1986 by beating the Houston Rockets in six games. This win was the third title for the trio of Hall of Fame small forward Larry Bird, his fellow Hall of Famer, center Robert Parish, and (yest again, a Hall of Famer) forward Kevin McHale. It would be Boston's last championship until 2008.

The talent assembled on the roster was nearly unmatched, featuring yet another two first-ballot Hall of Famers: Bird, McHale, Parish, sixth man Bill Walton, and veteran point guard Dennis Johnson. It also included shooting guard Danny Ainge, who would later serve as team president.

The Celtics finished the season 67-15 record and one home loss — one of the most dominant teams in all of NBA history.

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(Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein, NBAE/Getty)Transactions

It is also the anniversary of Larry Bird signing with the Celtics in 1979. Boston took a gamble by drafting Bird before he'd finished his collegiate career by using a now-closed loophole but ended up paying through the nose to do it, lest they risk Bird simply returning to the draft next year.

After considerable negotiations, the Hick from French Lick signed a five-year, $3.25 million contract to become the highest-paid rookie in any sport up to that time.

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Banner 16 won vs. Rockets; Larry Bird signs

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