1957 Boston Celtics Championship Team Signed Photograph

With the 1957 NBA Finals tied at three games apiece, the Boston Celtics and St. Louis Hawks faced off in a pivotal Game 7 at the Boston Garden on April 13, 1957. In what proved to be a harbinger of the years ahead, Celtics center Bill Russell rose to the occasion. The rookie superstar scored 19 points and grabbed 32 rebounds to help lead the Celtics to a thrilling 125-123 victory in double overtime. A legend was born. 

Having won two NCAA men’s basketball championships (1955 and 1956) and an Olympic gold medal (1956) as an amateur, Russell wasted no time bringing his winning ways to the professional ranks. After winning the title as a rookie, Russell collected his first of five league MVP awards in his sophomore campaign. By the time his playing career ended in 1969, Russell had won a record 11 NBA championships with the Celtics, including eight consecutive titles from 1959-1966. His number 6 was retired across the NBA in 2022. He is the only player in NBA history to have received this honor.

Sotheby’s is proud to present this framed photograph signed by 11 players and two coaches of the 1956-57 NBA Champion Boston Celtics. The signatories include head coach Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, Frank Ramsey, Andy Phillip, Jack Nichols, Jim Loscutoff, Dick Hemric, Togo Palazzi, and Joe Tsioropoulos.

The team signed photograph is accompanied by a letter from James Spence Authentication in regards to the signatures. 

Going Deeper

The Game 7 victory in the 1957 NBA Finals sealed the first championship in franchise history. It also marked the beginning of the most successful dynasty in the history of American major professional sports. With Russell at the forefront and legendary head coach Red Auerbach on the sidelines, the team also boasted six other future Hall of Fame players including Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn, Arnie Risen, Frank Ramsey, and Andy Phillip. Just four days after the Game 7 triumph, the Celtics drafted shooting guard Sam Jones, who became a cornerstone of the team and a future Hall of Fame inductee himself.

After falling short in the 1958 Finals, the Celtics won eight consecutive titles from 1959-1966. After two more championships in 1968 and 1969, Russell and the Celtics had solidified themselves as one of the greatest dynasties in the history of any sport. The Celtics’ 17 championships are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most by any NBA franchise.  

Though Russell is considered the bona fide leader of those Celtics championship teams, other players played significant roles and helped revolutionize basketball in their own right. Chief among them was point guard Bob Cousy, a 13-time All-Star and the 1957 league MVP, who ushered in a new era of advanced ball-handling and creative playmaking. Cousy led the NBA in assists for eight consecutive seasons from 1953-1960. Off the court, Cousy founded and served as the first president of the National Basketball Players Association. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971. 

With Russell and Cousy leading the way on the court, head coach Red Auerbach proved to be the perfect leader on the sidelines. Instrumental in breaking the NBA’s color barrier, Auerbach drafted the first African-American player in NBA history, Chuck Cooper, in 1950. He later became the first executive to hire an African-American head coach when he appointed Russell to the position in 1966. Auerbach’s 938 career wins ranks 12th all-time among NBA head coaches. His nine championships are 2nd all-time behind only Phil Jackson’s 11. After relinquishing head coaching duties to Russell in 1966, Auerbach became the Celtics’ General Manager (1966-1984) and later President and Vice Chairman (1984-2006). During Auerbach’s tenure with the Celtics as a coach and executive, the Celtics won 16 titles.