On this day in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame Celtics small forward Larry Bird won the 1988 AT&T Shootout at Chicago Stadium, part of that year’s All-Star game festivities that were held in the Illinois city.
The Hick From French Lick (as Bird was sometimes affectionately called as a nickname) had already made a name for himself in the event — famously asking fellow competitors in the 1986 iteration of the event “Man, who’s comin’ in second?” (per ESPN’s Jeff Caplan) — and did not disappoint the fans in attendance of the 1988 event in terms of performance or trash-talking.
This time, Bird beat Dale Ellis by two points overall, leaving the court with a finger raised to the heavens as if to say he knew he’d already won yet again.
It is also the birthday of former Boston Celtics big man Kris Humphries, born this day in 1985 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Humphries joined the Celtics as part of the now-infamous trade with the Brooklyn Nets. It sent Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to the Nets in exchange for MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans, and three first-round draft picks in addition to Kris.
#Wizards acquire Kris Humphries from Celtics for protected 2015 second-round draft pick. http://t.co/jCfksqpyvq | pic.twitter.com/ICvrtKQ5ku
— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) July 20, 2014
Humphries was never a major part of the Celtics’ plans, spending only a single season with the team, but still managed to log almost 20 minutes an outing in the 2013-14 season, averaging 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
After that single season in Boston, the former Gopher was traded to the Washington Wizards for a trade exception and a 2015 2nd-round draft pick.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
