What is giant leprechaun on Celtics’ home court? Meet Lucky, Boston’s famous logo with strong connection to Red Auerbach

For many years, an intimidating determine has loomed giant over any NBA recreation performed in Boston… a leprechaun spinning a basketball on his finger?

The Celtics’ well-known brand has been an indelible a part of the franchise’s historical past. Fortunate the Leprechaun was featured at middle courtroom on the previous Boston Backyard flooring, and he made his technique to TD Backyard when the Celtics started enjoying at that venue within the mid-Nineteen Nineties.

However how did the Celtics land on Fortunate? Effectively, it seems that the brand has sturdy ties to probably the most essential figures in basketball historical past.

MORE: What’s No. 24 patch on Celtics’ uniforms?

Who’s Fortunate the Leprechaun? How Celtics’ brand was created

The Celtics’ brand was initially created by Pink Auerbach’s brother, Zang, within the early Nineteen Fifties. Zang was an artist and cartoonist who labored for a number of print publications and additionally designed the brand for the Washington Senators baseball crew.

Pink, in fact, was probably the most profitable NBA coaches and executives of all time. The Corridor of Famer led the Celtics to 9 championships as a head coach and contributed to seven different title runs as a member of the entrance workplace. Maybe most significantly, Pink is Fortunate the Leprechaun’s largest hero. (Severely, he’s.)

Here’s a description of the trendy Fortunate from the crew web site:

The world-famous determine has his left eye winking at you, his left hand resting on his shillelagh, his proper index finger is pointing straight upward with a brown basketball sitting atop, his left foot crossed over and to the facet of the best foot, he possesses a giant smile (with a pipe projecting from the best nook of his mouth) and he’s wearing black buckle footwear, black pants, a gold front-button vest with an identical bow tie (with inexperienced three-leaf clovers displayed prominently in view on each), a long-sleeved white shirt and all topped off with a black derby hat with the identical matching three-leaf clovers.

Historical past of Celtics’ brand

The Celtics have seen their brand change a number of occasions for the reason that franchise was based in 1946.

• 1946-1950: The primary brand was a easy white shamrock with “Celtics” written above it.
• 1950-1960: Zang’s authentic model of Fortunate was largely black and white, however he did have a inexperienced vest. He additionally wore an NBA crown.
• 1960-68: The one change right here was the orange background.
• 1968-1974: This was the primary time that Celtics followers noticed a leaning Fortunate.
• 1974-1996: A extra trendy Fortunate bought a black, inexperienced and white look. As a substitute of a basketball background, he had a inexperienced ring with “Boston Celtics” written in white.
• 1996-present: And this is the present Fortunate.