The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.
In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.
Today’s installment focuses on the seven players who wore No. 52 over the years as of Aug. 2023.
This guy tended to irk opposing fanbases even after he retired as a player. https://t.co/Y9wMnMyiIM
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 3, 2023
1976-77 - Norm Cook - forward
🤔Did you know Norm Cook (who played 2 years for the Celtics in the 1970s) was the father of Brian Cook who played for the Lakers? pic.twitter.com/5ifHHqkGPl
— Frosty Bias ☘️ (@FrostyBias) February 22, 2022
1978 - Bob Bigelow - forward
Happy birthday in heaven to the pride of the Winchester Sachems and the Boston Celtics, Bob Bigelow. pic.twitter.com/olYBu6w5lO
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) December 26, 2020
1978-79 - Earl Williams - center
Happy birthday Earl Williams! #Celtics pic.twitter.com/bcTIYW6wJ3
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) March 24, 2021
1982-83 - Darren Tillis - center
Darrell Griffith driving on Darren Tillis and Charles Bradley. Tillis and Bradley were both first round picks by the Celtics out of the league pretty quickly pic.twitter.com/tVbAL6Qw8S
— Frosty Bias ☘️ (@FrostyBias) November 19, 2018
1990-91 - Stojko Vranković - center
Wow Stojko Vrankovic's son is on Duke? (Stojko on the SNES Tecmo @celtics of course). Root for Duke now? No, but I'll cheer for him! pic.twitter.com/nuuXxXtyvJ
— Andrew Ardini (@andrew_ardini) December 4, 2016
1999-2002 - Vitaly Potapenko - center
2014 - Chris Babb - guard
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