Movies And Specials: 'Celtics City'

Synopsis: Celtics City chronicles the remarkable saga of the Boston Celtics, the NBA’s winningest and most storied franchise, from its founding as one of the league’s original teams all the way to its triumphant 2024 championship – along the way delving into the fierce rivalries, defining moments, and societal forces that have shaped the organization’s enduring legacy. 

Featuring never-before-seen archival footage and over 80 interviews with past and present Boston Celtics legends – from Bob Cousy and Larry Bird to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – the series captures the scope of the team’s influence, weaving together the personalities, battles, tragedies, and triumphs that have defined the franchise across more than seven decades of American history.

Moving between past and present, each episode of the series examines not just the many eras of the franchise’s history, but also rivalries with the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, and others; the relationships and loyalty shared by teammates; and the weight and expectations that come with carrying on a tradition that transcends the game. The series also explores the Celtics’ significance in the ever-changing landscape of Boston – a city with a complex social history impacted by racial tensions that the Celtics, led by figures like Bill Russell, confronted head-on.
 
Celtics City is the story of a team that reflects the enormous societal changes over the past 75 years and has come to embody resilience, pride, and the spirit of a city – as told by those who built its legacy, lived through its challenges, and carry it forward today. (Courtesy HBO, 2025)

The Cast:
Past and present NBA players including Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Tom “Satch” Sanders, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Danny Ainge, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Wayne Embry, Pat Riley, Don Nelson, Don Chaney, Spencer Haywood, Charlie Scott, Bill Walton, Cedric Maxwell, M.L. Carr, Kevin McHale, Quinn Buckner, Paul Pierce, Rick Carlisle, Dee Brown, Brian Shaw, Xavier McDaniel, Antoine Walker, Doc Rivers, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, James Worthy; NBA executives and coaches including Joe Mazzulla, Brad Stevens, Rick Pitino, Jan Volk, Chris Wallace, Wyc Grousbeck, Rich Gotham, Steve Pagliuca; Celtics family members including Nancy Auerbach Collins, Randy Auerbach, and Karen Kenyatta Russell; prominent  journalists and authors; and celebrity Celtics fans including Donnie Wahlberg and Bel Biv DeVoe.

Production Credits:
HBO Sports Documentaries, Ringer Films, and Words + Pictures present Celtics City. Directed by Lauren Stowell; executive producers, Bill Simmons, Connor Schell, Aaron Cohen, Libby Geist, Wyc Grousbeck, and Rich Gotham; co-executive producer and showrunner, Gabe Honig; produced by Sascha Gardner and Christina Lenis; consulting producer, Jackie MacMullan; For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Bentley Weiner; supervising producer, Abtin Motia.

The Episodes:
Chapter I: Founding Fathers--03/03/2025
As the Boston Celtics celebrate their record 18th NBA title, the franchise’s origins are traced back to the arrival of Red Auerbach in 1950, and his uncompromising vision for success. Auerbach makes history by drafting Chuck Cooper, the NBA’s first Black player, and builds a powerhouse led by Bob Cousy and Bill Russell. When Cousy retires in 1963, the team has six championships, but racial tensions in Boston and beyond augur a tumultuous era ahead.

Chapter II: No Final Victories--03/10/2025
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.

Chapter III: All Swept Up--03/17/2025
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.

Chapter IV: Great Hope, Period--03/24/2025
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.

Chapter V: F**k The Celtics--03/31/2025
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.

Chapter VI: Untenable Toll--04/07/2025
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.

Chapter VII: Not Again--04/14/2025
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.

Chapter VIII: Ubuntu--04/21/2025
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.

Chapter IX: We’re The Celtics--04/28/2025
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.