On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion reserve guard Sam Cassell signed with the storied franchise as a late-season addition in the Celtics’ push for Banner 17.
Cassell had played just under half — a total of 38 games of the 2007-08 NBA season — with the Los Angeles Clippers before he managed to negotiate a buyout at the end of the month of February. After listening to the pitches of several NBA teams, Cassell ultimately decided to hitch his proverbial wagon to the team, inking an agreement as an unrestricted free agent on this date in 2008 to finish the season in green and white.
The Florida State product would play an important role for the Celtics in the postseason, and after being reunited with former teammates Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen won his third and final title.
It is also the date of a 56-point game by Celtic big man legend Kevin McHale in 1985.
It came in a 138-129 win over the Detroit Pistons at the old Boston Garden that saw McHale pull down 16 rebounds, dish 4 assists, and block 4 shots to complete his historic stat line.
Nine days later, teammate Larry Bird would set a franchise scoring record of 60 points.
It is also current Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum’s 26th birthday.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1998 on this day, Tatum would of course attend Duke, from which he would be drafted third overall in the 2017 NBA draft by Boston.
He shares that birthday with another forward on Boston’s roster, rookie wing Jordan Walsh. Born today in DeSoto, Texas in 2004, Wlash would play his college ball at the University of Arkansas.
He played just one season there, leaving for the NBA draft after his Razorbacks fell to the UConn Huskies in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Walsh would of course be drafted by Boston at No. 38 overall, and has been mainly playing with the Maine Celtics since joining the team.
At the NBA level, Walsh is averaging 0.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Happy birthday!
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