This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/11/2023.
The late Red Auerbach wore many hats during his long tenure with the Boston Celtics. As either the head coach, general manager, or ultimately the president for the team, Auerbach won 16 NBA championships. Whether he was orchestrating the team’s impressive rosters from courtside or helping to secure top players while in the front office, Auerbach was a basketball magician in Boston. His greatest recruit was no doubt the acquisition of University of San Francisco standout Bill Russell, the Celtics longtime center who won 11 titles in 13 years. Offered here is a special banner that was hung in the TD Garden rafters during a special ceremony on Nov. 3, 1999 celebrating Auerbach’s 50 years of service to the team. The large white nylon banner, measuring 116.5 x 174.5”, is outlined in green and includes a gold silhouette of Auerbach in the middle holding up one of trademark victory cigars. A green circle surrounds Auerbach, with the Celtics leprechaun logo resting at the bottom of the circle. Just beneath the circle, the banner reads “50 YEARS in black with each number/letter outlined in gold. A large facsimile of Auerbach’s autograph in black stretches across his gold silhouette. The banner-hanging ceremony took place prior to the start of the Celtics’ 112-101 victory that night and included Russell ushering Auerbach across the floor. Fellow Hall of Fame teammate Tommy Heinsohn served as master of ceremonies. Auerbach, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 89, won nine NBA titles with the team as a head coach and seven more as a team executive. His career coaching record with the Celtics was 938-479. He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as a coach, in 1969. Accompanied by an LOA from the Red Auerbach Estate.