Expert: Fabio Anderle - 9/12/2004

Question
How did the Boston Celtics get the name Celtics?

Answer
When Walter Brown, the first owner of the franchise, was part of the pool of arena owners who founded the Basketball Association of America in 1946, he had to christen his own team too. He toyed with the names "Whirlwinds", "Unicorns" and "Olympics", but luckily he thought they did not fit well. Brown, while chatting with friend (and the first Boston Celtic' PR) Howie McHugh, suddenly hit on "Celtics": the name had a great basketball tradition (due to the great Original Celtics, an outstanding New York barnstorming team in the 1920's), and Boston was full of Irishmen: that could have been good for the gate too. So Brown chose green uniforms and a clover, and the Boston Celtics Mystique was born on June 6, 1946.
I hope this is your definitive answer...

Fabio