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Today in Boston Celtics history, the team selected a total of four notable players in the 2017 NBA Draft, which took place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Although the Celtics possessed the top overall pick, Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge opted to trade back to the third pick of the draft, accurately assessing that he could still secure his desired prospect, Jayson Tatum.
Tatum, a 6-foot-8 small forward out of Duke, was drafted third overall after Ainge completed the deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers used the top overall pick on point guard Markelle Fultz out of Washington, and the Los Angeles Lakers used the second overall pick on point guard Lonzo Ball.
Vindicating Ainge, Tatum has gone on to become one of the top ten players in the league, racking up accolades at a historic rate.
The Celtics also took Semi Ojeleye out of SMU with the 37th pick. Ojeleye averaged 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game over his four seasons with the team. With the 53rd pick, Boston took Kadeem Allen of Arizona. Allen didn’t stick with the Celtics, later latching on with the New York Knicks. He averaged 1.1 points per game with Boston. The Celtics also drafted Jabari Bird out of Cal-Berkeley with the 56th pick. He played one season for Boston as a two way player, averaging 3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game before domestic violence hastened his departure from the league.
It is also the date of the 1987 NBA draft (held in New York City’s Felt Forum), in which the Celtics took two players of note. The first was Reggie Lewis, taken 22nd overall out of Northeastern. Lewis played for 6 seasons with Boston before an untimely death in summer 1993 due to congenital heart issues, recording 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in that stretch. The Celtics also drafted Brad Lohaus, taken 45th overall from Iowa. Lohaus played two seasons with Boston, putting up 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
It is also the anniversary of forward Brandon Hunter being taken by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft, held to populate the creation of the Hornets’ roster. Hunter had been drafted by Boston with the 56th overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft out of Ohio State, and averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game with the Celtics.
It was on this date in 1949 that the Celtics sold the contract of wing Gene Stump to the (then) Minneapolis (now, Los Angeles) Lakers. An alum of DePaul who joined Boston in the second season of the team’s existence, the Chicagoan played 99 games for the Celtics over two seasons, logging 6.3 points per game over that stretch.
One year later, Boston bought the contract of guard Kenny Sailors from the (now defunct team of the same name as the modern franchise) Denver Nuggets. Sailors played just 10 games for the Celtics before he was dealt with Brady Walker to the (also defunct) Baltimore Bullets for Dick Mehen. The Wyoming product averaged just 1.8 points per game with Boston.
it was also the date of the trade in 2023 that sent Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a deal that also sent Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and Julian Phillips to the Washington Wizards for Kristaps Porzingis. It was a tough move for fans to stomach at the time, but would ultimately lead to Banner 18 being hung in Boston.
Finally, it is the birthday of Hall of Fame point guard Pete Maravich, the LSU star who rose to fame with the Atlanta Hawks and (then) New Orleans Jazz (now, Utah). Maravich ended his career with the Celtics in the first season of Larry Bird’s career in the 1979-80 season.
Born in 1947 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Maravich (seen as a forerunner of today’s modern long-range game before the advent of the 3-point shot) was a shell of himself by the time he landed with Boston due to injuries, but still put up 11.5 points, 1.5 boards, and 1.1 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Lewis, Tatum, Ojeleye, Lohaus draft; Smart trade
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Tatum, a 6-foot-8 small forward out of Duke, was drafted third overall after Ainge completed the deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers used the top overall pick on point guard Markelle Fultz out of Washington, and the Los Angeles Lakers used the second overall pick on point guard Lonzo Ball.
Vindicating Ainge, Tatum has gone on to become one of the top ten players in the league, racking up accolades at a historic rate.
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The Celtics also took Semi Ojeleye out of SMU with the 37th pick. Ojeleye averaged 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game over his four seasons with the team. With the 53rd pick, Boston took Kadeem Allen of Arizona. Allen didn’t stick with the Celtics, later latching on with the New York Knicks. He averaged 1.1 points per game with Boston. The Celtics also drafted Jabari Bird out of Cal-Berkeley with the 56th pick. He played one season for Boston as a two way player, averaging 3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game before domestic violence hastened his departure from the league.
You must be registered for see images attach
It is also the date of the 1987 NBA draft (held in New York City’s Felt Forum), in which the Celtics took two players of note. The first was Reggie Lewis, taken 22nd overall out of Northeastern. Lewis played for 6 seasons with Boston before an untimely death in summer 1993 due to congenital heart issues, recording 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in that stretch. The Celtics also drafted Brad Lohaus, taken 45th overall from Iowa. Lohaus played two seasons with Boston, putting up 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
It is also the anniversary of forward Brandon Hunter being taken by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2004 NBA Expansion Draft, held to populate the creation of the Hornets’ roster. Hunter had been drafted by Boston with the 56th overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft out of Ohio State, and averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game with the Celtics.
It was on this date in 1949 that the Celtics sold the contract of wing Gene Stump to the (then) Minneapolis (now, Los Angeles) Lakers. An alum of DePaul who joined Boston in the second season of the team’s existence, the Chicagoan played 99 games for the Celtics over two seasons, logging 6.3 points per game over that stretch.
You must be registered for see images attach
One year later, Boston bought the contract of guard Kenny Sailors from the (now defunct team of the same name as the modern franchise) Denver Nuggets. Sailors played just 10 games for the Celtics before he was dealt with Brady Walker to the (also defunct) Baltimore Bullets for Dick Mehen. The Wyoming product averaged just 1.8 points per game with Boston.
it was also the date of the trade in 2023 that sent Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a deal that also sent Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and Julian Phillips to the Washington Wizards for Kristaps Porzingis. It was a tough move for fans to stomach at the time, but would ultimately lead to Banner 18 being hung in Boston.
Birthdays
Finally, it is the birthday of Hall of Fame point guard Pete Maravich, the LSU star who rose to fame with the Atlanta Hawks and (then) New Orleans Jazz (now, Utah). Maravich ended his career with the Celtics in the first season of Larry Bird’s career in the 1979-80 season.
You must be registered for see images attach
Born in 1947 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Maravich (seen as a forerunner of today’s modern long-range game before the advent of the 3-point shot) was a shell of himself by the time he landed with Boston due to injuries, but still put up 11.5 points, 1.5 boards, and 1.1 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Lewis, Tatum, Ojeleye, Lohaus draft; Smart trade
Continue reading...
