Celtics sign coach Brad Stevens to contract extension

Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics have signed coach Brad Stevens to a contract extension, the team announced Wednesday. Terms of the new deal were not disclosed.

The Celtics signed Stevens to a six-year deal when they hired him in 2013. They gave him an initial extension in 2016 that would have expired following next season.

Stevens, 43, has a 318-245 record in seven seasons in Boston. His wins rank fourth in franchise history, trailing Red Auerbach (795), Tom Heinsohn (427) and Doc Rivers (416).

The Celtics are 48-23 this season and have won at least 48 games each of the last five seasons. Boston already has clinched the third seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs starting Monday, which will mark its sixth straight trip to the postseason under Stevens.

During Stevens’ tenure, the Celtics made back-to-back trips to the East finals in 2016-17 and 2017-18, the first time since the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons that they’ve reached the conference finals in consecutive seasons.

“Brad is an accomplished coach and an outstanding person,” Celtics lead owner Wyc Grousbeck said in a statement. “We are proud to have him lead our team forward in our quest for banner 18.”

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge called Stevens “a great teammate.”

“His character and integrity have contributed to a culture that we all highly value here,” Ainge said.

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