On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston big man Shelden Williams was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.
A product of the Duke Blue Devils where he won NABC Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and made First Team All-American among other honors, Williams was taken fifth overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2006 NBA draft. He would play parts of two seasons before being dealt to the Sacramento Kings in February of 2009, and the Oklahoman would later be dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves as well.
He would sign with the Celtics as an unrestricted free agent in August of that same year.
Williams would play just 54 games for Boston in the 2009-10 season, moving on as a free agent to the Denver Nuggets after his contract expired.
He averaged 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds with the team.
Happy birthday in heaven Gene Englund. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/03CvPecIXM
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) October 21, 2020
He shares that birthday with fellow former Celtic center Gene Englund, born this day in 1917 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
A part of Boston’s roster in its Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league to the NBA), Englund played his college ball with Wisconsin, who he led to an NCAA title in 1941.
Englund spent most of his pro career competing in the National Basketball League (NBL — not to be confused with the modern Australian league of the same name).
After stints with the Oshkosh All-Stars and Brooklyn Indians in that league, the Wisconsinite joined Boston as a free agent and played 24 games under the team’s first coach, Alvin “Doggie” Julian before he would be traded to the (then) Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now, Atlanta Hawks) midseason.
He would put up 8.2 points per game, rebounds, and blocks not having been recorded yet in the BAA.
It is also the date that Celtics Gary Phillips and Al Butler made their debut with the team in a 137-102 blowout of the Detroit Pistons in 1961.
Butler had the better game of the two despite playing 6 minutes less than Phillips 13 minutes, putting up 6 points to Phillips 3 points and 1 assist.
Exactly five years later in 1966, Oregon product Jim Barnett made his debut for the Celtics, which came in a 111-91 blowout of the (then) Baltimore Bullets (now, Washington Wizards).
Barnett had a solid inaugural performance in 13 minutes of playing time, scoring 6 points, 3 boards, and an assist.
Happy birthday Mal Graham! #Celtics pic.twitter.com/NBcuJxUZTs
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) February 23, 2021
In something approaching deja vu, point guard Mal Graham debuted for Boston exactly a year to the day of Jim Barnett’s first game with the team, another blowout of the (then) Bullets, this time to the tune of 125-109.
And in something unlike deja vu, Graham went scoreless for his first tilt with Boston.
Happy birthday in heaven John Hazen. Another Indiana State great. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/sbJZ4nsZHm
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) March 2, 2021
Finally, it is also the date that guard John Hazen left us in 1988. A product of Indiana State University, Hazen joined the Celtics as a free agent after going undrafted in 1948.
He would play just 6 games with Boston, his entire career in the BAA (the Basketball Association of America, a predecessor league of the NBA). The Chicago native averaged 3 points per game with the Celtics.
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