One of the great characters of the NBA is gone.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, Boston Celtics legend and 10-time NBA champion Tommy Heinsohn has died at the age of 86.

A native of Union City, NJ, Heinsohn had been involved with the Celtics organization for the past six decades as a player, coach and broadcaster.

Heinsohn made his debut in 1956 and spent all nine of his NBA seasons with the Celtics. An All-Star on six occasions and four times a member of the All-NBA Team, Heinsohn finished his career with an average of 18.6 points on .405 shooting, 8.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists over 29.4 minutes a night in 654 games.

In eight of Heinsohn's nine seasons, the Celtics won the NBA title.

Heinsohn would go on to coach the team from 1969 to 1978, posting an overall mark of 427-263 (.619), winning the NBA title in 1974 and 1976.

Since 1981, Heinsohn formed a popular duo with Mike Gorman as the Celtics broadcast team. An unabashed homer, Heinsohn was an exuberant analyst, awarding "Tommy Points" to unsung heroes of the game. In recent years, Heinsohn's schedule lessened due to health complications.

Heinsohn was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame first in 1986 as a player and then again in 2015 as a coach, becoming one of only two people to hold that distinction alongside Lenny Wilkens.

A product of Holy Cross, Heinsohn was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.