The Boston Celtics fell short in their bid to repeat as NBA champions this season, getting eliminated in the second round by the New York Knicks. But the Cs still have plenty of young talent, including two players among the franchise's very best in the past 25 years.
RotoWire.com compiled this list of Boston's best players since 2000, our Celtics All-Quarter Century team.
There is no one set metric for this list – instead, we used a mix of accolades and impact together with statistics to determine the five members. We know hoops lineups are always in flux, but RotoWire chose to be old school here by choosing one center, two forwards and two guards as a starting lineup for this NBA betting related analysis.
Rajon Rondo (2006-2015)
Rondo was the point guard who led the Celtics offense for nine seasons, from 2006-2015, three times averaging at least 11 assists per game. He led the NBA in assists in back-to-back seasons, during 2011-12 (at 11.7 apg) and 2012-13 (with 11.1). Rondo earned his third and fourth All-Star selections in those seasons and he finished a career-high eighth in Most Valuable Player voting in 2011-12. In all, the former college standout at Kentucky played for nine teams over 16 years, but he'll always be associated most with the Celtics.
Jaylen Brown (2016-Present)
As a swingman, Brown has been the tag-team partner for Jayson Tatum as the Celtics have risen to be among the NBA's elite teams in the past four years. Boston has won at least 50 games in each of the past four seasons, exceeding 60 victories the past two years, and captured the franchise's league-record 18th championship in 2024. Brown has been a key element, earning three All-Star selections in his career and averaging at least 20 points a game each of the past six seasons. Brown also was the NBA Finals MVP and Eastern Conference finals MVP in 2024. He is one of two active players to make the list of top 25 Celtics over the past 25 years at RotoWire, where top NBA promo codes are at your fingertips.
Paul Pierce (2000-2013)
The first of two forwards on this team, Pierce led the team in Win Shares, a statistic at basketball-reference.com, a franchise record 11 times. Yes, even more than NBA legends Bill Russell (10 times) or Larry Bird (seven), both of whom spent their entire careers in Boston. Pierce's place in Celtics lore – and on their All-Quarter Century team as named by your source for online sports betting sites – was secured when he won the NBA Finals MVP trophy in 2008, picking up the hardware named after Russell. The Hall of Famer spent the first 15 of his 19 NBA seasons with the Celtics.
Jayson Tatum (2017-Present)
Tatum has blossomed since Boston drafted him a year after selecting Brown (that's how you build a team capable of contending for years). The swing forward is a six-time All-Star, a five-time All-NBA selection and has led the Celtics in scoring five times, including a franchise-record 30.1 ppg in the 2022-23 season. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 Draft out of Duke has 65.5 Win Shares over seven seasons, putting him on pace to break into the franchises all-time top 12 at some point next season. His props should be worth a wager at sports betting apps for years to come.
Kevin Garnett (2007-2013)
Garnett did not spend the majority of his career in Boston, but his time there was truly memorable. After Garnett spent 12 years in Minnesota, Boston acquired the center in July 2007. That first season, his stats were not as gaudy as some of his years with the Timberwolves, but he was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He, Pierce, Rondo and Ray Allen capped that season by leading Boston to its first NBA title in 22 years. Overcome with emotion after winning his first championship, Garnett yelled out "Anything's possible!" in a postgame interview. That moment will live a long time in New England sports lore.
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