The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association based in Boston, Massachusetts and are 17-time NBA champions.
The Boston Celtics are one of the NBA’s original teams. They came into existence in 1946 when the Basketball Association of America, the forerunner of today's NBA, was established. The name seemingly grew out of a conversation between owner Walter Brown and Howie McHugh, a member of the Garden's publicity staff and the man assigned to handle the basketball entity. Both men suggested several nicknames, including Whirlwinds, Unicorns, and Olympics.