On this day: Celtics Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers, Jermaine O’Neal born; John Havlicek jersey retired
On this day in Boston Celtics history, franchise icon small forward Paul Pierce was born in Oakland, California in 1977. A product of the University of Kansas, Pierce somehow managed to slip to be taken 10th overall by the Celtics in the 1998 NBA draft, joining a moribund Boston team that had fallen from its former glory.
Pierce would make the All-Rookie First Team in his inaugural season, and quickly cemented his status as a star on the rise. He would make his first All-Star team in 2002, two seasons after a stabbing incident in a local nightclub nearly cost him his life.
Famously, it somehow did not cause him to miss even a single game of that season, however.
The Oakland native was a loyal soldier through the worst seasons in Boston’s history, but began to chafe before (then) new team president Danny Ainge brought Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to the Celtics in the summer of 2007.
Boston and Pierce would win their first title together that subsequent season, and while that group never quite made it over the hump again, Pierce would rack up ten All-Star bids, four All-NBA teams, and a Finals MVP among several other honors to go with his banner.
Pierce would average 21.8 points, 6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game with the Celtics before he was traded with Garnett and teammate Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013.
Pierce shares his birthday with his former Celtics head coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers, who was born this day in 1963 in Chicago, Illinois.
Rivers had played basketball with Marquette collegiately and was taken 31st overall in the 1983 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
Rivers spent his NBA career as a player with Atlanta, the New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs before making the jump to coaching with the Orlando Magic before joining Boston in 2004, where he would win a title as a coach in 2008.
Rivers coached the Celtics until 2013 when he left to head the Los Angeles Clippers — a position he stepped down from to join the Philadelphia 76ers in October of 2020.
Former Celtic center Jermaine O’Neal shares the birthday with them, having come into this world in 1978 in Columbia, South Carolina.
O’Neal was a direct-from-high school prospect drafted 17th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers, who he played for along with the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat before joining the Celtics in free agency in 2010.
It was a snake-bit tenure, with O’Neal only able to play 24 games in his first of two seasons, and just 25 more the following due to wrist and injuries.
The South Carolinian would average 5.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game with the team.
Ok, here we go. Honest Larry Productions' Daily Best Boston Celtics by Number. Today's number is 33. Today is Garfield Smith. pic.twitter.com/5ilRzDO5F2
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) May 21, 2020
Today is also the debut date of former Boston big man Garfield Smith, who first played for the Celtics in a 114-107 loss to the New York Knicks in 1970.
An alum of Eastern Kentucky University drafted by Boston 32 overall in 1968, Smith logged 4 points and 4 rebounds in 21 minutes of play, shooting 1-of-3 from the field and fouling 3 times for a solid first game at the NBA level.
It is also the anniversary of the debut of Celtics small forward Jeff Judkins, who first stepped on the court for Boston on the same day eight years later in 1978 in a 115-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 30th pick of the draft of the same year for the Celtics out of Utah, Judkins went scoreless in 2 minutes of play, missing his sole shot attempt.
It was also the debut of future Hall of Fame big man Dave Cowens, whose storied career began in a 114-107 loss to the New York Knicks on this date in 1970.
The Florida State alum had an auspicious debut, putting up 16 points, 17 rebounds, and an assist in 35 minutes of floor time in the loss.
It is the anniversary of iconic Celtics forward John Havlicek’s No. 17 jersey’s retirement on that same day in 1978, raised to the rafters at the start of the first season he no longer played in the league.
At that time, he led the league in games played and was third all-time in total points scored.
Finally, it was also on this date in 2006 that the team traded forward Dwayne Jones for Cleveland Cavaliers wing Luke Jackson and cash, the team waiving Jackson after the deal.
Traded to the Celtics by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jones played in just 14 games for Boston, averaging 1 point and 2.2 boards per game.
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