Four Memorable Players To Play For Both Celtics, Lakers

The Celtics and the Lakers account for one of the most historic rivalries in NBA history, and a handful of players have seen both sides of the coin.

The longtime foes first met all the way back in 1948 and proceeded to become intense adversaries thanks in large part to battles on the championship stage. Although the majority of the all-time best players from both teams never ventured to the other side of the rivalry, a few had the unique opportunity to call both Boston and Los Angeles home.

Here are four memorable players who spent time with both legendary organizations.

Don Nelson
Sometimes a player simply needs a change of scenery to prove their worth, and that was the case with Nelson.

Drafted in 1962, Nelson relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles the following season and struggled to make a name for himself. The small forward was held under six points per game in both of his seasons with the Lakers, and although he saw an uptick in minutes in the playoffs, he never was able to become a household name in LA. But after joining the Celtics as a free agent in 1965, Nelson’s status in the NBA completely changed.

He played the final 11 seasons of his career in Boston, where he won five championships. Nelson averaged double figures in all but two of those campaigns and was impressively durable, missing only 26 games in a stretch that spanned over a decade. A mere two years after playing his final game with the C’s, Nelson’s No. 19 was retired by the organization.

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Rajon Rondo
Although the “Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen garnered most of the attention for the Celtics’ 2008 championship, Boston wouldn’t have won its 17th title without Rondo.

Drafted by the Celtics with the 21st overall pick in 2006, Rondo put together a very modest rookie season that surely had many in Boston believing it needed point guard help. But Doc Rivers and company chose to roll with the Kentucky product, who made the organization look brilliant for its faith in him. Beginning with that memorable 2007-08 season, Rondo showcased a playmaking ability that hadn’t been seen in Boston in years.

The savvy floor general really started to come into his own toward the end of his Celtics tenure, collecting four consecutive All-Star nods between 2010 and 2013. Over that span, Rondo also led the NBA in assists twice, earned two All-Defensive First Team selections and an All-NBA Third Team honor. But when it became clear Boston needed to turn the page to the next era of the franchise, Rondo was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in December 2014.

After stops in Sacramento, Chicago and New Orleans, Rondo finally found another opportunity to show his stuff on the big stage. He helped the Lakers win a title in 2020, becoming only the second player in league history to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy with both the Celtics and the Lakers.

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Bob McAdoo
Celtics fans owe McAdoo some thanks for one of the more successful eras in the organization’s history — kind of.

McAdoo, a Basketball Hall of Famer, only played one season in Boston and performed at a high level, averaging nearly 21 points per game. But his arrival on Causeway Street coincided with the ushering in of a new chapter in Celtics history, which included moving on from head coach and franchise icon Dave Cowens. Boston also had high hopes for new face of the organization Larry Bird, which made McAdoo expendable heading into the 1979-80 season.

The Celtics acquired multiple 1980 first-round draft picks through a McAdoo trade with the Detroit Pistons, and one of those selections was flipped to Golden State Warriors. The end result was Boston taking Kevin McHale with the third overall pick in 1980, and the power forward ended up becoming one of the best players in Celtics history.

Following a pit stop in New Jersey, McAdoo latched on with the Lakers for a four-season run in the early 1980s. And though his on-court production was nothing like that of his prime, McAdoo won a pair of championships in LA. The second title triumph was over Bird, McHale and the Celtics.

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Shaquille O’Neal
What more can we say about O’Neal’s time with the Purple and Gold?

After playing the first four seasons of his NBA career in Orlando, O’Neal established himself as one of the most dominant big men in league history with the Lakers. Shaq’s laundry list of Los Angeles accolades includes seven All-Star appearances, five All-NBA First Team nods, four championships, three Finals MVP Awards, a scoring title and the 2000 MVP Award.

Largely due to his product impact with the Lakers, O’Neal was named to the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams. His No. 34 also was retired by the Lakers in 2013.

O’Neal bounced around the league a bit after leaving Los Angeles, spending time with the Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers. In hopes of closing out his career on a high note, O’Neal in August 2010 signed a free-agent contract with the Celtics, who were outlasted by Kobe Bryant’s Lakers in the Finals two months prior.

The Diesel wasn’t a game-changer in Boston, but he was effective enough that the franchise felt comfortable trading longtime center Kendrick Perkins in February 2011. Unfortunately for O’Neal, injuries bogged him down for most of the season and the Celtics ultimately were bounced from the playoffs in the second round.

Honorable mentions: Avery Bradley, Rick Fox, Isaiah Thomas, Gary Payton