On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics center Cornelius “Connie” Leo Simmons was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1925.
Simmons did not play college ball, instead making the leap directly from New York City’s Flushing High School to the Celtics in Boston’s inaugural season of 1946-47. It would also be the very first season of the Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league of the NBA), of which Boston was a founding member. Simmons would play parts of two seasons for the Celtics, having been traded midway through the 1947-48 season to the (now defunct) Baltimore Bullets.
The Newark native would average 9.4 points per game with Boston.
It is also the birthday of former Boston big man Brady Walker, born this day in Provo, Utah in 1921. Walker would play collegiately at Brigham Young University before being drafted by the (now defunct) Providence Steamrollers in the 1948 BAA draft.
He would in turn be taken from the Providence Steam Rollers in the dispersal draft following the shuttering of that franchise in 1949 and would play parts of two seasons with the Celtics between that year and 1950 when he would be dealt with Kenny Sailors to the (defunct) Bullets for Dick Mehen.
It is also the birthday of Boston forward Jabari Parker, born today in 1995 in Chicago, Illinois, the son of former NBAer Sonny Parker. The younger Parker played at Duke at the NCAA level before being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the third overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
Parker played for that organization, the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, and Sacramento Kings before joining the Celtics after being waived by the Kings in 2021.
He’d play in 22 games over 2 seasons with Boston, averaging 5.3 and 2.9 rebounds over that span.
Happy birthday in heaven John Janisch #Celtics pic.twitter.com/39cOMrJBwX
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) March 15, 2021
These three share their birthday with forward John Janisch, who came into this world in 1920 in Indiana (the city of his birth is unclear).
A product of Valparaiso, Janisch joined the (now defunct) Detroit Falcons in the BAA’s premier season and was drafted by Boston in the dispersal draft in 1947.
He’d play just three games for the Celtics, averaging just a point per game over that stretch.
Finally, today is also the anniversary of forward Coty Clarke’s debut with the team in 2016.
It came in a 103-98 road loss to the Indiana Pacers and saw the Arkansas alum put up 3 points and a rebound in just over 3 minutes of playing time for a solid if unremarkable first game in the NBA.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
