1996–97 Boston Celtics season

The 1996–97 Boston Celtics season was the 51st season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association.^[1] Celebrating its 50th anniversary as one of the NBA's original franchises, the Celtics received the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected power forward Antoine Walker from the University of Kentucky.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team signed free agents Frank Brickowski and Marty Conlon.^[5][6]

With the addition of Walker, the Celtics got off to a 4–8 start to the regular season, but then struggled losing 13 of their next 14 games as players like Dino Radja, Dana Barros, Dee Brown, Greg Minor and Pervis Ellison were all out for long stretches of the season due to injuries.^[7] The team suffered through their worst season ever, holding an 11–35 record at the All-Star break,^[8] posting a 13-game losing streak between February and March, and then posting a 10-game losing streak near the end of the season. The Celtics lost 34 of their final 38 games, finishing in last place in the Atlantic Division with a dreadful 15–67 record, which is currently the team's worst record in franchise history.^[9][1]

Walker averaged 17.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while David Wesley averaged 16.8 points, 7.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game, and contributed 103 three-point field goals, and Rick Fox provided the team with 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game, and with 101 three-point field goals. In addition, second-year forward Eric Williams contributed 15.0 points per game, and Todd Day provided with 14.5 points per game, and led the Celtics with 126 three-point field goals. Meanwhile, Radja averaged 14.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game in 25 games due to a left knee injury, Barros averaged 12.5 points and 3.4 assists per game in 24 games, Minor contributed 9.6 points per game in 23 games, Brown provided with 7.6 points, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 21 games, and Conlon averaged 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.^[10]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Walker was selected for the NBA Rookie Game, as a member of the Eastern Conference Rookie team. Walker scored 20 points along with 9 rebounds and 2 steals, as the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference, 96–91.^[11][12] Walker also finished in fourth place in Rookie of the Year voting,^[13][14] while Wesley finished in eleventh place in Most Improved Player voting,^[14] and Fox finished tied in sixth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.^[14] The Celtics finished 20th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 664,022 at the FleetCenter during the regular season.^[10][15]

Following the season, head coach M.L. Carr resigned,^[16][17] while Fox signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers,^[18][19][20] Wesley signed with the Charlotte Hornets,^[21][22][23] and Williams was traded to the Denver Nuggets.^[24][25][26] Meanwhile, Day signed with the Miami Heat,^[27][28] and Brickowski, Conlon and Alton Lister were all released to free agency. This was also the final season for Radja; after failing his physical exam, voiding an off-season trade that would have sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Clarence Weatherspoon and Michael Cage, he returned to play overseas in Europe, signing a contract to play in Greece, and ending his four-year career in the NBA with the Celtics.^[29][30][31]

For the season, the Celtics updated their primary logo of a leprechaun spinning a basketball, and smoking a cigar in front of a green circle, adding gold, black, brown and peach colors; the logo is still present as of 2026.^[32]