On this day in Boston Celtics history, power forward Tom Boswell was born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1953. An alumnus of both South Carolina State and the University of South Carolina (Boswell would transfer from the former to the latter), Boswell would be selected from the Bulldogs with the 17th overall pick of the 1975 NBA draft.
He would play for the Celtics for a total of three seasons and won a title with the team in a reserve role in his rookie season of 1975-76. The Montgomery native would leave the team for the Denver Nuggets in 1978 as an unrestricted free agent.
Boswell went on to play stints with that club and the Utah Jazz, as well as overseas after leaving Boston. He averaged 5.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and an assist per game with the Celtics.
LEGENDS BEGIN AT UTEP! Jim Barnes – #1 Pick in 1964 NBA Draft (New York Knicks), NBA Champion (Boston Celtics), All-American, averaged 29 points and 19 rebounds his senior year in El Paso! #WeAreMiners pic.twitter.com/Dc1ZqN9FrO
— UTEP Men’s Basketball (@UTEPMBB) March 22, 2018
It was also on this date that former No.1 overall pick Jim “Bad News” Barnes had his contract sold to the (then) Baltimore Bullets (now, Washington Wizards.
Barnes, who’d played with the Bullets previously as well as the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, came to the team in 1968 when the Bulls sold his rights to the club.
The Texas-El Paso alum would play two seasons with the team between 1968 and 1970.
He would average 5.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game with the team.
282. Stojko Vrankovic @celtics @NBAOfficial pic.twitter.com/k7ehDnW2xx
— Daily Basket Card (@BasketCard) April 15, 2021
Finally, it is also the date that the Celtics signed former center Stojko Vranković to a contract in 1990.
A Croatian national who went undrafted in the 1986 NBA draft, the Drniš native would play overseas before signing with Boston.
The #Celtics really need Stojko Vrankovic to step up if they want to get back into this series. #NBAPlayoffs #BOSvsCLE #GoCeltics pic.twitter.com/M0U9oHmsIl
— Brendan Kirby (@BrendanKirbyTV) May 22, 2017
He’d never really catch on in the NBA, nor with the Celtics, averaging just 1.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game with Boston.
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