Expert: Fabio Anderle - 6/29/2004

Question
where did tha boston celtics get tha clover from? why is it there?

Answer
Hi, Jamal,

the Boston franchise "borrowed" the idea of the "Celtics" from a New York team which set the nation on fire in the first years of the Twentieth Century, winning about the 95% of the games it played. They were the "Original Celtics", and when in 1946 ten  prominent American arena operators decided to form the Basketball Association of America (BAA, which a couple of years later became the NBA), bostonian Walter Brown decided to go with the Celtics and the clover. The name had a great tradition in basketball, and Boston was full of Irishmen, so the green uniforms, the nickname and the clover were supposed to gather more fans. For more information about the "Original Celtics", you can check the Basketball Hall of Fame site:

http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/Celtics%20Original.htm

There, you'll find more details, and a couple of interesting vintage photos, clover and all....
I hope this helps

Fabio