Boston Celtics Colors and Logo: A History and Color Codes
Why do the Boston Celtics wear green? The story and details of the Celtics colors and logo including color codes
In this article, we look at the history of the Boston Celtics logo! We discuss the different colors and logos that the team have played in, including full details of their HEX, RGB and CYMK codes.
A brief introduction to the Boston Celtics
When Boston Garden owner Walter Brown decided to revive the former New York Celtics in 1946, it’s incredible to think that he was founding a team that would go through some of the greatest dynasties in basketball.
That’s right, the Celtics used to play in New York before moving to Boston, and you can even still buy their gear.
The team started as the New York Celtics in 1914, and they had considerable success in a number of leagues 1922-1930.
Major honours and trophies
While most people know that the Celtics have won 17 NBA championships, if you throw in the original New York Celtics then you can add on three-time ABL champions (1927, 1928, 1930) and EBL champions (1922).
They also won the NBL Champions League in 1927.
If you're wondering about the two championships in 1927, yes they played in multiple leagues for one year.
As for the actual Boston Celtics, within those 17 championships, 11 of them came within 13 years (1947-1959) and the most recent one is in 2008.
The seven most famous Celtics players
Celtics fans of all generations have their heroes while growing up, going back to the late 1940s or 1950s.
If you’re growing up in today’s society, your heroes are probably players such as Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown.
If you were growing up in the mid 1990s and 2000s, it could have been Paul Pierce or Antoine Walker, as the two were contenders for the scoring title and easily the most dominant players of their generation.
Although Walker never won a championship, Pierce was able to accomplish one in 2008. This is the last time they won.
If you were growing up in the 1980s, then your hero could be Larry Bird, otherwise termed “Larry Legend”- and for good reason.
Some consider him to be one of the greatest to ever play the game, as he played for three championships.
If you were growing up in the 1970s, your hero would have been John Havlicek. In the 1950s and 1960s, more than likely it could have been Bill Russell.
Various New York Celtics players were also coined as “magicians of the hardwood” due to their superior passing skills. This includes players such as Davy Banks, who was often the shortest player on the court.
He made up for it by coming up with various tricks, and Dan Herlihey was the quite the opposite. He was all business and deadly from the outside.
Why do the Celtics play in green?
The reason the Celtics play in green is actually quite simple.
After having been a Celtics team in New York, the green color is used to honour the Irish heritage that exists in Boston.
The color was chosen by Zhang Auerbach, Red Auerbach’s brother who worked in design for a local newspaper.
Throughout their history, the Celtics have also made various modifications to their jersey to honour certain players.
Most recently they honoured Bill Russell, since he passed away in the offseason, or more specifically 31 July 2022. Players put 11 diamonds on their jersey.
They also honoured Celtics former point guard Sam Jones in the 2022 playoffs, when they made the NBA finals.
His number is retired in Boston Garden, and he passed away in December 2021.
Details of uniform and logo colors
While the Celtics have multiple jerseys and logos, almost every color that’s involved in their logo and uniform is there for one of two reasons: it is league protocol, or there is some type of local or historical significance to it.
When you see the white uniforms of the Celtics, these are league protocol.
Every team in the league has some version of a red-white uniform mixed with their official team color. Of course, in the case of the Celtics, this is green.
The Boston Celtics colors: CMYK, HEX and RGB color codes
Below, find the Boston Celtics colors, including the individual HEX, RGB and CMYK codes for each color.
Celtics Green
HEX: #007A33
RGB: (0, 122, 51)
CMYK: (100, 0, 91, 27)
Celtics Gold
HEX: #BA9653
RGB: (139, 111, 78)
CYMK: (30, 40, 80, 0)
Celtics Brown
HEX: #963821
RGB: (150, 56, 33)
CMYK: (40, 95, 100, 0)
Celtics White
HEX: #FFFFFF
RGB: (255, 255, 255)
CMYK: (0, 0, 0, 0)
Celtics Black
HEX: #000000
RGB: (0, 0, 0)
CMYK: (0, 0, 0, 100)
A history of the Celtics logo
The Celtics logo has evolved throughout its history.
As a matter of fact, the first logo the Celtics ever had didn’t even have the person in the middle spinning the basketball.
It was merely a picture of a basketball with the Celtics name on it. It took only four years to add a face to the name. However, it is not the face that you might think.
Instead of someone spinning a basketball, the person in the logo was holding a cane and it is something the person in the logo is using, judging by the way they are walking.
In 1960, the Celtics added orange to the background. At this point, you started to see Lucky, which is the Leprauchan you see in the Celtics logo today.
Yes, that’s right- the person spinning the basketball in the middle of the Celtics logo has a name!
Origin of the Celtics logo and how it has changed through the decades
The Celtics logos include leprechauns for the same reason as the team color is green- to celebrate the Irish culture up in Boston.
1947-1950
The first Celtics logo didn’t even have a human face on it.
It was a green circle with the Celtics name and a picture of a shamrock. However, that did not last for long.
1951-1960
In 1951, the Celtics decided to update the logo by adding someone jumping with bent knees on what appears to be a cane.
This was the first logo created by Zhang Auerbach. While the picture of the person looks much different than it does today, the name of the person listed in both logos is still Lucky.
1961-1968
The Celtics added orange to the background to add better contrast, but the basic picture of the logo remained the same.
1969-1976
The adjustment made in the 1976 logo is a little more drastic, and much closer to what you see today.
The difference? Instead of seeing a blank circle, you see a picture of a basketball with Lucky in the front, leaning on a cane with one hand and spinning the basketball with another.
1977-1996
In this version of the logo, the basketball disappears and the outside of the circle with the Celtics name on it is a dark green color.
Instead of the leprechaun looking like he’s about to jump, he’s spinning a basketball with one hand while leaning on a cane on the other, all while smoking a cigar.
1996-present
The most current version of the Celtics logo, which has been updated at the centre court of their home floor, is a colored-in version, so to speak, of the previous logo.
The leprechaun is wearing a brown vest with green shamrocks, black pants and shoes.
So, what is the future of the Celtics logo? Considering Bostonians are proud of their rich history, it is highly unlikely to change anytime soon.
One other sure thing- the Celtics definitely aren’t going back to New York!
