On this day in Boston Celtics history, small forward and current Indiana Pacers head coach Richard “Rick” Preston Carlisle was born in Ogdensburg, New York in 1959. Carlisle played his college ball with the Universities of Maine and Virginia, leading the latter to a Final Four loss to Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Cougars in 1984.
The former Cavalier would be selected 70th overall in the 1984 NBA draft (there were several more rounds in that era), and would go on to win a title with the team in 1986 in a reserve role before being waived by the team in the fall of 1987.
Carlisle averaged 2.2 points and an assist per game as a Celtic.
Happy birthday Rex Morgan! Fun fact: At Jacksonville University, Rex was a teammate of another ex-Celtic. Artis Gilmore. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/LzoH6exZQa
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) October 27, 2020
It is also the birthday of former Celtic shooting guard Rex Morgan, born this day in 1948 in Charleston, Illinois.
A product of Jacksonville University, Morgan was taken 21st overall in the 1970 NBA draft and would play just 62 games over two seasons for the franchise.
He would average 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds with the club.
Ex-Boston wing Evan Turner shares today with them as his birthday as well, born in 1988 in Chicago, Illinois. Turner played collegiately at Ohio State, where he won National College Player of the Year honors in 2010.
He would be selected second overall in the NBA draft of that year by the Philadelphia 76ers, and play for that club and the Indiana Pacers before the latter team declined his qualifying offer, causing Turner to sign with the Celtics as a free agent.
ET’s — as he is known for a nickname — post-game interviews and quirky personality quickly made him a fan favorite with Boston fans, and he would parlay his improved play with the team into a $70 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2016.
Turner averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds, as many assists, and a steal per game as a Celtic, and would return to the team as an assistant coach after ending his playing career in the team’s 2020-21 NBA season.
Today is the date that 1953 draft selection of the Celtics Lou Tsioropoulos debuted for the team in 1956 after returning to Kentucky for a graduate season and then spending time in the U.S. Air Force.
It came in a 115-112 win over the New York Knicks that saw Tsioropoulos put up 5 points, 3 of which were earned at the line for a solid debut.
Happy birthday in heaven Hank Beenders. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/IfS0hAa2Kz
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) June 2, 2021
Finally, it is also the date of former Boston big man Hank Beenders’ passing in 2003. He played eight games for the Celtics in their Basketball Association of America (BAA – a precursor league to the NBA) days in the 1948-49 season.
Beenders logged 2.4 points per game in his time with the team in that stretch.
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