If you’ve ever wondered why the NBA hands out a Sixth Man of the Year award each year, it’s fair to say the allure of John Havlicek’s 16-year tenure with the Boston Celtics served as a major landmark.
The late, great swingman epitomized unselfishness and commitment to a Celtics organization that flooded the league with its own championships, most notably between the 1960s and ’70s.
Former San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili carried himself with a similar character prior to stepping away from the game in 2018.
Much of what made Havlicek, as well as a future Hall of Famer in Ginobili such foundational assets over their successful careers, was their readiness and determination of coming off the bench for their respective teams.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made the comparison between the players on Friday, precluding claims that the most valuable members of a roster are always featured in the starting group.
A 13-time All-Star and eight-time NBA champion, Havlicek finished his illustrious career averaging 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 36.6 minutes per game. Ginobli, a four-time NBA champion who started 349 of the 1,057 career games he played for the Spurs (regular season only), averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 25.4 minutes per game.
