On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtic Hall of Fame guard Paul Westphal was picked up by the team tenth overall in the 1972 NBA draft after playing his college ball at USC. Westphal would play for three seasons with Boston, where he would win a championship in 1974 — just his second season in the league.
At the end of the 1974-75 season, Westphal was dealt with a pair of second-round draft picks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for point guard Charlie Scott. The California native would average 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game in his time with Boston.
He would pass away in January of 2021 after a long battle with cancer.
It is also the birthday of Kevin Joseph Aloysius “Chuck” Connors, who was born on this date in 1921.
Better known for his acting role as Lucas McCain — the star of the popular 1960s television show “The Rifleman”, Connors played not just basketball professionally before becoming a famous actor but major league baseball as well.
Chuck Connors. #OpeningDay #Celtics pic.twitter.com/nkzFrvp95M
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) April 1, 2021
He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of North American professional sports to play both sports, current Celtics team president Danny Ainge being another.
Connors played both forward and center for Boston despite being just 6-foot-5 for two seasons, averaging 4.5 points and 0.8 assists per game between 1946 and 1948.
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