The Boston Celtics basketball team have been wearing green vests in their away games and white in the home ones since they were formed in 1946. The side, formed on a strong Irish heritage in the city, have also left other NBA teams green with envy, amassing a league record 17 titles. Over the past 63 years tweaks have been made to the design, different cuts or lettering, but the emerald look has remained as strong as the team themselves.
Heroes from all eras - Bill Russell, JoJo White, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird and Kevin Garnett - have all worn almost identical kits. No many teams can boast that. The Celtics have also had an eye of their accessories. Their players have worn black training shoes for most of their history, except during the early 1980s when they wore green ones. And Boston are also the only team to wear warm-up tops with names of the payers on the back.
During the 1980s this style was dominant across the NBA, but by the late 1990s it declined. The Celtics, however, decided to keep the design in keeping with tradition. Other teams have tried to steal the Celtics mantle and play up their own Irish heritage. Last month the Chicago Bulls wore green in order to celebrate St Patrick's Day, forcing the Celtics to switch to their white home kit. It worked, the Bulls sold plenty of green vests and managed to beat their no-doubt confused visitors 127-121.
akunawicz@thenational.ae
