In a moment that still echoes through Boston sports history, two of the greatest players to ever wear the green and white hung up their sneakers for good after winning the 1969 NBA Championship. Bill Russell and Sam Jones ended their legendary careers on top, securing the franchise's 11th title in just 13 years—a dynasty that remains unmatched in professional sports.

For Russell, this championship was especially sweet. He finally got the best of his longtime rival and close friend, Wilt Chamberlain, leading the Celtics to a stunning 108-106 Game 7 victory over the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers boasted a trio of Hall-of-Famers in Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Chamberlain, but Boston's grit and experience prevailed. In a remarkable twist, Chamberlain won Finals MVP despite being on the losing team—the only time that has ever happened in NBA history.

Russell finished his career with an astounding 11 championships, the most of any player in league history, along with five MVP awards, 12 All-Star selections (including an All-Star Game MVP in 1963), and 11 All-NBA team honors. Jones, not to be outdone, walked away with 10 rings of his own, cementing his place as one of the game's all-time great shooting guards.

Fast forward to 1981, and Larry Bird was already making magic of his own. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets, Bird somehow anticipated his own missed jumper, grabbed the errant shot while falling out of bounds, and laid it in for a bucket that left even Celtics GM Red Auerbach speechless. "The greatest play I've ever seen," Auerbach said. Boston won that game 98-95 and took the series in six games, adding another banner to the rafters.

Five years later, in 1986, "Pistol" Pete Maravich was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Though his best years were behind him when he joined Boston, Maravich played a key role in helping a young Bird-led Celtics team post a league-best 61-21 record in the 1979-80 season. He averaged 11.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game during his time in green.

Finally, on this date in 1995, the old Boston Garden hosted its last game. The Celtics fell 95-92 to Shaquille O'Neal's Orlando Magic, with Horace Grant scoring the final bucket in the hallowed building. It was the end of an era, but the legacy of those who played on that parquet floor—from Russell and Jones to Bird and Maravich—lives on in every banner that hangs above the court today.