On this day in 1997, the Boston Celtics waived Croatian big man Dino Radja to make way for new head coach and team president Rick Pitino’s vision for the team.
Radja had been with the Celtics for four seasons after being drafted 40th overall by Boston in the 1989 NBA Draft.
He had to wait to join the team, however, as his Yugoslavian team Jugoplastika fought in court to keep his rights to the end of his contract with them, followed by a stint with an Italian team.
He would finally join the Celtics in July of 1993, but the injuries sustained towards the end of his first deal with Boston and the incoming new regime spelled the end of his time in Boston.
Over those four seasons with the Celtics, he averaged averaged 16.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.