The Celtics held an emotional retirement ceremony for Bob Cousy at the end of the 1963 regular season.
Bob Cousy, one of the greatest Celtics of all-time, ended his career in 1963 with Boston on a high note by leading the team to their sixth championship.
Ahead of the NBA playoffs, Boston held a retirement ceremony for its star at the team’s final regular season game. An emotional Cousy stood on the court with his family to say farewell to his teammates and fans.
“I have been asked many times this year what I will miss most about no longer playing,” Cousy said before tearing up.
Someone in the crowd yelled, “We love you, Bob!” and the crowd clapped loudly for him. Cousy took at minute to compose himself before continuing with his speech.
“I would like to thank you wonderful, wonderful fans of New England that have given the Celtics and myself such continued sincere support,” he said. “I only hope that my playing has in a small way served to repay you in your many kindnesses.”
The Celtics went on to beat the Cincinnati Royals in the Eastern Division Finals before an NBA Finals grudge match against the Lakers. Boston beat Los Angeles in seven games the previous year.
Cousy, 34, ranked third in the NBA in assists and was entering his final series before retiring.
The Celtics beat the Lakers in three of the first four games of the Finals and headed back to the Boston Garden for Game 5. However, the Lakers, led by Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, stepped up to extend the series. Cousy fouled out and L.A. pulled off a 126–119 victory.
The questions around Boston’s age had been discussed all season and came up again when the Finals resumed in L.A. for Game 6. The Lakers’ fast pace suddenly came to a halt in the second quarter when their shots started failing to go in and Bill Russell was grabbing rebounds.
Early in the fourth quarter with Boston ahead by nine, Cousy tripped and sprained his left ankle. The crowd gasped as he lay on the court in pain, and coach Red Auerbach rushed to his star’s side. After Cousy exited the game, Boston’s lead had been narrowed to one point in six minutes. But Cousy–nicknamed the Houdini of Hardwood–returned after icing his ankle to get his team back on track.
With 2:48 left on the clock, West lofted a pass to Rudy LaRusso, but Tom Heinsohn stole the ball and drove downcourt for a layup. The Lakers wouldn’t recover.
In his last moments as a Celtic, Cousy dribbled near mid-court to kill the clock. As the final buzzer sounded, he threw the ball high in the air and celebrated the 112–109 victory and Boston’s fifth consecutive championship.
After retiring, Cousy coached basketball at Boston College for six years. At age 41, he decided to return to the NBA in the 1969-70 season as a player/coach for the Royals. However, Cousy played poorly after being out of the league for several years and only lasted seven games. He went on to become a broadcaster for Celtics games and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.
