1998–99 Boston Celtics season 1998–99 Boston Celtics season The 1998–99 NBA season was the 53rd season for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. The Celtics continued to build with youth as they selected Paul Pierce out of the University of Kansas with the tenth pick in the 1998 NBA draft. In the offseason, the team acquired second-year center Tony Battie from the Los Angeles Lakers. Pierce would get off to a fast start as he was named Rookie of The Month in February, after the season was delayed by a four-month lockout. However, after a 7–7 start to the season, the Celtics
History of the Boston Celtics The Celtics won two more titles in the 1970s under coach Tom Heinsohn, and three more in the 1980s under the leadership of forward Larry Bird. After a 22-year drought, the Celtics got their latest title in 2008. The Celtics were formed in 1946 as a team in the Basketball Association of America, and became part of the National Basketball Association after the merger of the BAA and the National Basketball League to form the NBA in the fall of 1949. In 1950, the Celtics became the first franchise to draft an African American player, signing Chuck Cooper. The Celtics