I put off writing the Red Auerbach bio until I had finished all of the other legends. I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know what to write about a man who not only IS the Celtics, but also revolutionized the NBA and the sport of basketball. The Celtic brand of basketball is still fundamentally taught and emulated; defend, run the fast break, and share the ball. Nobody did it better than Red, even though he toured the world with some of his players, teaching basketball’s fundamentals to anybody who wanted to learn. Red is largely responsible for the growth of basketball, both nationally and globally.

I wasn’t alive to see Red in his cigar-smoking prime, but he was still an imposing figure with a fire in his belly. Red truly is a legend, and because of his significance, I defer his bio to a much better writer, and someone who knew him on a day-to-day basis, Boston Globe writer, Dan Shaughnessy.

Dan Shaughnessy’s Obituary of the late, great Red Auerbach