Watch Celtics City

Following the 2008 title, injuries, age, and internal conflict take their toll. Though the Celtics return to the Finals in 2010, Danny Ainge quickly pivots to a new era. Soon, rising stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are tasked with carrying the weight of the franchise's storied tradition and the city's complex racial history. In 2024, under Ainge's replacement Brad Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla, the team captures its record-breaking 18th championship, embodying the legacy of Red Auerbach and Bill Russell as one of the greatest dynasties in sports history.

A new century brings new hope: Paul Pierce survives his stabbing and emerges as the team's franchise cornerstone, leading Boston back to the playoffs alongside fellow star Antoine Walker. After another downturn, former Celtic Danny Ainge takes over as GM and makes a bold series of moves to acquire Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, forming a new "Big Three" with Pierce. With head coach Doc Rivers at the helm, the Celtics reclaim their dominance in 2008, defeating Kobe Bryant's Lakers in the NBA Finals to capture their 17th championship.

As the Celtics struggle to find a new identity with young Black stars, Reggie Lewis appears poised to lead their resurgence before his sudden death leaves the franchise and city in mourning again. Even the arrival of new team president and coach Rick Pitino in 1997 doesn't help as the team spirals into crisis, decline, and then irrelevance. One month before the 2000-01 season, promising forward Paul Pierce is left clinging for his life after being stabbed in a Boston nightclub. Fans are left to wonder if the Celtics will ever rise again.

The tragic death of Len Bias after the 1986 draft casts a shadow over the Celtics, and Larry Bird's style of play begins to take its toll - all as new rivals emerge with the Celtics going head-to-head with the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons in a heated 1987 playoff series before ultimately falling to Magic Johnson and the Lakers in the Finals. Bird fights through pain to extend his career, but in 1992, he retires and closes a historic chapter for the Celtics and the NBA.

As the Celtics and Lakers battle for basketball supremacy, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson's rivalry captivates the sports world. The Celtics and the Lakers trade titles in epic showdowns as the teams' racial identities fuel complex conversations about Boston's lingering reputation. In 1986, Bird helps lead the Celtics to one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history, but then an unthinkable tragedy changes everything.

Larry Bird arrives in Boston as a beacon of hope for a city still grappling with racial tensions and its identity in flux. His blend of talent and tenacity embodies Boston's working-class ethos, while his rivalry with Magic Johnson and battles against Julius Erving help revive a struggling NBA and elevate it to new heights. With the additions of Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, Bird helps lead the Celtics to their 14th championship in 1981. However, internal discord threatens to derail another potential dynasty.

Against the backdrop of the controversial Boston busing mandate and racial unrest in the city, the Celtics return to glory with a pair of championships in the 1970's thanks to players including John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Paul Silas, and Jo Jo White. The team fades towards the end of the decade before Auerbach pulls off another brilliant move, drafting an Indiana State star named Larry Bird.

At the peak of the civil rights movement, with segregation persisting in Boston, Bill Russell inserts himself into the struggle, drawing backlash and death threats. Yet the winning continues, with Russell making more history when he replaces Auerbach to become the team's player-coach - the first Black head coach in professional sports. It all culminates with an 11th title in 13 years in 1969 in a dramatic seven-game series against Wilt Chamberlain and the Lakers.

Led by Bob Cousy and Bill Russell, the Celtics become an NBA dynasty, but racial tensions in Boston and beyond augur a turbulent era ahead.

This HBO Original docuseries chronicles the history, cultural impact, and extraordinary tale of the NBA

Michael Pina and Howard Beck break down the first episode of Celtics City, then co-host Wosny Lambre talks with director Lauren Stowell about making the doc and interviewing legends.

Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo talk about Bill Russell's career with the Celtics and compare him to Wilt Chamberlain.