Satch Sanders

Thomas Ernest " Satch " Sanders ( born November 8, 1938 in New York City ) is a former basketball player and basketball coach of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. The 1.98 m wide Sanders played the role of the little winger ( small forward ) and won with the Celtics 1960-1969 eight NBA championships. He was until 2007 Vice President of the NBA.

Playing career

Sanders was drafted in 1960 by Celtics coach Red Auerbach. Although " Satch " in his career scoring less than 10 points per game, he was one of the most feared wingers in the 1960s due to its defensive strength. Sanders was formed together with the also very strong defense Bill Russell ( center ), KC Jones ( construction) and his young substitute John Havlicek the core of the best defense in the NBA. Did the Celtics against teams with dominant forwards ( for example, the Los Angeles Lakers with Elgin Baylor or the New York Knicks Dave DeBusschere ), so it was Sanders, who regularly made ​​life difficult for them.

In the period from 1960 to 1969 Sanders won with the Celtics eight of nine NBA titles. After Russell's career end in 1969, the Celtics sank into mediocrity, but when Sanders 1973 ceded, honored him, the Celtics by his Celtics jersey retired with the number 16 forever.

Coach and official career

Sanders coached the Celtics in 1978 and 1979, twice as interim coach. He was until 2007 Vice President of the NBA and led the anti-drug program of the Association. At his farewell he received the " Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his social commitment.