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Video: Celtics unveil 2024 NBA title rings, raise 18th banner before Knicks opener | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Video: Celtics unveil 2024 NBA title rings, raise 18th banner before Knicks opener | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

China Wong/NBAE via Getty Images

The Boston Celtics raised the 18th championship flag in franchise history before Tuesday night’s regular season opener against the New York Knicks.

The Celtics also received their 2024 championship rings, each set with 15 carats of white diamonds.

The inside is engraved with the results of the Celtics’ playoff series against the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks, while the edges of the ring are engraved with the years of the Celtics’ last 17 titles.

One side features the player’s name and number above the slogan “Whatever it takes,” while the other side features the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy, the year 2024 and the Celtics’ 80-21 overall record.

Inlaid on the removable top of the ring is “a piece of the home parquet floor” and the final score of the Celtics’ title win over the Dallas Mavericks on June 17th.

Below the top of the ring is a miniature version of the championship banner surrounded by each player’s jersey number.

The Celtics began the ceremony with a tribute video that detailed how each star on the championship roster came to Boston, including the consecutive No. 3 picks of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in 2016 and 2017.

Noa Dalzell 🏀 @Noa Dalzell

The Celtics begin the banner ceremony with a look back at how each key player got here. chills pic.twitter.com/LK27ZCwMIw

Then the Celtics players, wearing championship jackets with 18 trophies sewn on the right sleeve, arrived to receive their rings.

After the players received their rings, Celtics star Jayson Tatum addressed the crowd at TD Garden.

“Let’s enjoy this moment together. I can honestly say to the best fans in the world: Let’s do it again,” Tatum said.

Tatum capped the ceremony with a three-pointer on the first possession of the regular season opener.

N.B.A @N.B.A

Jayson Tatum drills the 3 on first possession to get the 2024-25 NBA season underway ‼️
📺 Knicks-Celtics on TNT pic.twitter.com/UqNlByqEbC

The Celtics broke a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers to become the first team in NBA history to win 18 championships.

Sixteen of those titles were won between 1957 and 1986 before Kevin Garnett and the Celtics ended a two-decade losing streak in 2008. It took another 16 years for Tatum and Brown to lead the franchise to another championship.

The question now will be whether the Celtics can win a second straight title. This feat has been accomplished 13 times, most recently in 2018 by Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

The Celtics are 15-2 all-time in the first game of a regular season after a championship win. The team will look to begin its bid to repeat by improving that record to 16-2 with a win over the Knicks on Tuesday night.