On this day: Dennis Johnson jersey retired; Kendrick Perkins debut; Charles Claxton, Andre Turner born; Woody Sauldsberry signed

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the Celtics raised champion point guard Dennis Johnson’s jersey to the rafters, honoring the two titles and seven seasons the San Pedro, California native played for Boston. A product of both Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine — Johnson matriculated from the former, a junior college, to the latter — the point and shooting guard was picked up with the 29th overall pick of the 1976 NBA draft by the (then) Seattle SuperSonics (now, Oklahoma City Thunder).

DJ — as he was often called as a nickname — would play for that team and the Phoenix Suns before being dealt to Boston in 1983, winning a title with the Sonics in 1979.

The Celtics acquired Johnson for Rick Robey and draft assets, quite a steal in retrospect.

(AP Photo/David M. Tenenbaum)

The Californian retired at the end of the 1991 season when the Celtics did not offer him a new contract and began working with the team as a scout.

He would accept a position as one of the team’s assistant coaches in 1993, which he would remain until 1997.

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Johnson would continue as an assistant or interim head coach or scout until his passing in 2007. As an additional, posthumous honor, he would be admitted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Rest in peace, D.J.

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

It was also on this date in 2003 that former Boston big man Kendrick Perkins played his first game as a Celtic.

It was in a 105 – 98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Gund Arena and saw Perkins play a mere 28 seconds of garbage time, far too little time to record anything to his stat line.

Mercifully it was not indicative of his later career.

Today is also the birthday of Celtics short-timer Charles Claxton, father of current Brooklyn Nets big man Nick Claxton. He came into this world in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in 1970.

The undrafted Georgia product played a total of three games for Boston in the 1996-96 NBA season 0.7 points and rebounds per game both.

Claxton shares that birthday with former Celtics floor general Andre Turner, born this day in Memphis Tennessee in 1964.

Oddly enough, Turner also just played three games as a Celtic before being waived in 1986.

(AP Photo/Sam Myers)

Finally, it was also on this date in 1965 that Boston signed big man Woody Sauldsberry as an unrestricted free agent in what would prove to be the last stop of his NBA career.

The Texas Southern product played 39 games with the team for the rest of the season, logging 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

[lawrence-related id=66005,65988,65978,65973]

[listicle id=65990]

[vertical-gallery id=65963]

1

1