On this day: Jo Jo White drafted, Bob Cousy dishes NBA-record 19 assists; Zaid Abdul-Aziz born
On this day in Boston Celtics history, the franchise drafted Hall of Fame point guard Jo Jo White in the 1969 NBA draft out of the University of Kansas with the ninth overall pick.
White would play 10 seasons with the Celtics, winning two NBA championships with Boston in 1974 and 1976, and would win a Finals MVP in 1976. The former Jayhawk was elected to seven All-Star games during his tenure with the Celtics and two All-NBA teams among many other honors. The St. Louis native would play in 488 consecutive games finally derailed by injury in the 1977-78 season, setting a franchise record in the process.
He never recovered to be a high-level player afterward, and was traded to the Golden State Warriors for a 1979 first-round draft pick.
On this day in 1959, Celtics star Bob Cousy dished 19 assists, to tie an NBA Playoff record, in a game against the Minneapolis Lakers.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) April 7, 2009
It is the anniversary of Celtics legend Bob Cousy doling out 19 assists in a 123-110 win over the (then) Minneapolis (now, Los Angeles) Lakers in 1959, who Boston would defeat in a four-game sweep to win the 1959 NBA Championship.
The feat was an NBA record at the time and a career-high for the Holy Cross product.
Happy birthday Zaid Abdul-Aziz! You only played 2 games w/the Celtics back in 1978, but hey, that's enough for us. I couldn't even find a picture of you in a Boston uniform. Best I got is Dave Cowens D-ing you up while you were with the Rockets & going by the name of Don Smith. pic.twitter.com/5ycXaKQbeE
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) April 7, 2020
Finally, it is also the birthday of big man Zaid Abdul-Aziz (born Donald A. Smith until he converted to Islam in 1976), who came into this world in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York.
Drafted out of Iowa State in 1968 by the (then) Cincinnati Royals (now, Sacramento Kings), Abdul-Aziz played for the Milwaukee Bucks, (then) Seattle SuperSonics, (now, Oklahoma City Thunder), Houston Rockets, and (then) Buffalo Braves (now, Celtics — it’s a long story) before joining Boston after the owners of each club swapped teams.
In his sole season with the team, Abdul-Aziz logged 4.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
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