DANNY AINGE- Six members of the 1986 team have either been an assistant coach, head coach or general manager on the NBA level, and Ainge has filled all three roles. Now the former shooting guard serves as the Celtics’ director of basketball operations. At the tender age of 47 he already has two grandchildren.
LARRY BIRD - Hall of Famer, Olympic gold medalist and the man who took the Indiana Pacers further (2000 Finals) than any other coach in their NBA history, president Larry is now the heir apparent to revered Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh.
RICK CARLISLE - A classic example of a role player destined for greater things in a suit, Carlisle quickly rose through the coaching ranks. He was named NBA Coach of the Year as a rookie coach with Detroit in 1999-2000, fired a season later, and signed on with Bird, his old boss. Carlisle’s tenure in Indiana has been marked by success despite every calamity short of bubonic plague.
DENNIS JOHNSON - DJ finally realized his dream of coaching an NBA team under less-than-ideal circumstances, when he succeeded the just-fired Alvin Gentry as interim coach of the Clippers in March 2003. He has since coached two teams in the NBDL and was an assistant coach on the 2005 U.S. team that qualified for the World Championships this summer in Japan. He is still waiting for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame - a situation that Bill Walton calls “a tragedy.”
GREG KITE - The man behind Parish and Walton played the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Celtics prior to a trade to the Clippers during the 1987-88 season. He played for seven teams in 12 seasons, including four in Orlando, where Kite now lives and runs his own securities business.
KEVIN McHALE - Once considered the greatest post scorer in the game, McHale returned to his native Minnesota shortly after retirement to take over basketball operations with the Timberwolves. He oversaw development of one of the game’s biggest stars - Kevin Garnett - but 11 years at the helm may be wearing him down. McHale recently blamed this season’s collapse on himself.
ROBERT PARISH - The Chief, the father of two grown daughters, now has three grandchildren. “It’s nice, because at the end of the day you can give them back to their parents,” he deadpanned. Parish left the Celtics following the 1993-94 season to sign with Charlotte. He holds rank on his former Celtics teammates in terms of championship rings. He grabbed No. 4 as a 43-year-old reserve on the 1996-97 Bulls. Though part of the Celtics’ community relations staff, he’s hoping for an NBA coaching job.
JERRY SICHTING - His 2 1/2-season Celtics stint came in the midst of a 10-year career. After finishing with the Bucks in the spring of 1990, Sichting followed McHale to Minnesota, where he did a little of everything - from assistant coach to scout to television and radio analyst. His tenure ended with the departure of head coach Flip Saunders last spring.
DAVID THIRDKILL - With cold-hearted timing, the Celtics waived the young forward two days before Christmas 1986 to avoid a guarantee clause in his contract. He re-emerged overseas, including the Philippines. The Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv, cross-city rivals of the better known Maccabi Tel Aviv, lists Thirdkill as one of the 24 best players in franchise history.
SAM VINCENT - The Celtics’ 1985 first-round pick had an eight-year career - the last three in Orlando - and has since become one of the busiest men in coaching. He guided the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBDL last winter, but on a much larger scale is head coach of Nigeria’s national team, which has qualified for the World Championships this summer in Japan. He had previously coached and developed South Africa’s men’s and women’s national programs.
BILL WALTON - A backup on the ’86 squad, the former Portland great has become one of the most definitive voices in NBA broadcasting. “He’s always getting us together,” said Scott Wedman. “When Kevin (McHale) was being inducted into the Hall of Fame, I had a message on my machine that said, ‘Scott, this is Bill Walton, your former teammate. Your former teammate, Kevin McHale, is going into the Hall of Fame on this date and this time, and I expect you to be there.’ ”
SCOTT WEDMAN - Wedman started planning for his post-basketball career well before he retired in 1987. A series of Kansas City real estate investments has blossomed into a real estate management firm headed by the smooth-shooting forward. He’s also entrenched in the local basketball scene, running a well-known clinic each summer, in addition to several youth club teams. He wouldn’t mind hooking up with an NBDL franchise.
SLY WILLIAMS - He played in six games that season and was waived early - on Dec. 2. The one-time University of Rhode Island star and first-round draft pick of the Knicks never played in the NBA again. He is currently serving a five-year prison sentence in New York on a kidnapping charge.
K.C. JONES (head coach) - He finally left coaching in 1992 after two seasons in Seattle. He won 522 games as a coach and compiled a gaudy .674 winning percentage. In addition to his eight titles as a player - won in consecutive years - he won two more as a coach with the 1983-84 and 1985-86 Celtics. He lives in Connecticut, and works in conjunction with the University of Hartford.
CHRIS FORD (assistant) - His no-nonsense approach may have worn thin on some players, but Ford’s five seasons (1990-95) as Celtics head coach equaled the duration of Jones’ tenure. Only Red Auerbach (16 seasons) and Tom Heinsohn (8 1/2) have guided the Green for more campaigns. He also coached the Bucks, Clippers and 76ers. Ford, who has 311 career coaching wins, is now a Sixers scout.
JIMMY RODGERS (assistant) - This longtime assistant was groomed to take over for Jones, but lasted for only two seasons from 1988-90. He took over the Timberwolves for the 1991-92 season, but was fired in January the following season. He now lives in Florida.
