On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise signed power forward Sylvester Williams as an unrestricted free agent. A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Sly — as he was often called — played for the University of Rhode Island Rams, with whom he earned consensus second-team All-American honors.
The Garbage Man (another nickname of his) was selected 21st overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He played four seasons with them before they traded him to the Atlanta Hawks in 1983 for Rudy Macklin and cash. He played two seasons for that club before being waived on Sept. 23, 1985.
Buy Celtics TicketsThree days later, he signed with Boston.
Happy birthday Sly Williams. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/PDrFKNvq7Q
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) January 26, 2021
The New Haven native played six games with Boston before being waived again that December.
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