John “Hondo” Havilcek There is no doubt that John Havilcek was one of the greatest players ever to play the professional sport of basketball. His clutch performances and outstanding defense contributed largely to the eight NBA championships the Boston Celtics won during his 16 seasons there. Havilcek is a local Ohio hero to me because he came from so little but still managed to achieve greatness. John was the product of Czech immigrants. He was born in the small town of Martins Ferry in 1940. Havilcek grew up in Lansing Ohio, an area that was known for being home to coal miners and those who would work in the steel mills (“John”). When John was young, he spent most of his time running. He had to do this because all of his friends had bicycles,