Initially, it seemed that Jo Jo White arrived a year too late, as after he was drafted, both Bill Russell and Sam Jones retired. That was not the case as they would rebuild with White running the Point. He wasn't alone as he had other stars with him, such as Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, and Paul Silas. White was an incredible ball-handler who would become the team's ironman, competing in 488 straight games. In his third season, he began another significant streak, being named to seven consecutive All-Star Games, including a pair of Second Team All-NBA Selections. Leading Boston to the NBA Championship in 1974, his best moment was two seasons later, when he was the Finals MVP, capturing his second Championship Ring, punctuated by a 33 Point performance in a triple-overtime Game 5 win.
From Kentucky, and a former star at the University of Kentucky, the appropriately nicknamed "Kentucky Colonel," Frank Ramsey, was a champion in the NCAA and helped lay the groundwork for the Celtics dynasty that would begin in the second half of the 1950s. Ramsey was not the star of the team for Boston like he was as a Wildcat, but he was an efficient player with excellent court vision who was selfless, an essential attribute for those early Boston powerhouse teams. As such, he was an important piece to helping the Celtics win their first seven titles, and over his nine-year career (all with Boston), he would average 13.4 Points per Game.
Don Nelson, without question, achieved more considerable notoriety as a coach than as a player, but it should never be discounted what he accomplished when he donned the shorts.