NBA Secret Origins: The Green Boston Celtics Corps

Nothing in the NBA universe is more powerful than an NBA Championship ring, and among the first and most prominent to truly wield them were the Boston Celtics. With 17 championships, the Celtics are the most successful franchise in NBA history.

In comics, a Green Lantern’s ring is the most powerful weapon in the universe. It has the ability to create anything its user can imagine, powered solely by his or her will.

The Green Lantern rings were created by the Guardians, little immortal blue men residing on the planet Oa. In the updated mythos, written by Geoff Johns, each color on the light spectrum (ROY G BIV) represents a different emotion. The Guardians, seeking a power to help bring order to the universe, weaponized the green light of willpower—it being the most balanced and abundant.

There has since been other corps, each wielding a different light. The further from the middle of the spectrum, the more powerful the light, but the more influence it has on its wielder.

The Green Lantern Corps have several members from Earth: Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot considered to be among the greatest of them all; John Stewart, a natural leader; Guy Gardner, brash and hot-headed, but extremely loyal; Kyle Rayner, an artist with limitless imagination; and most recently, the misunderstood Simon Baz.

The Boston Celtics mythos were essentially created by Red Auerbach, and have had many members with incredible willpower, from Bill Russell and Bob Cousy to Larry Bird, and more recently, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. In the NBA’s war of the championship rings, their light still shines brightest.