On this day in Boston Celtics history, the anniversary of the final chapter of one of the more odd tales in Boston Celtics history happens to fall and is therefore especially apropos for the first day of the new year.
In 1979, the new owner of the storied franchise, John Y. Brown, attended his very first game as the Celtics’ owner. That in and of itself is nothing especially remarkable, but Brown — former owner of the team which later became the Los Angeles Clippers — had just recently finalized the only “trade” of a franchise in league (and possibly all) history.
To say it another way, from a strictly legal point of view, the Celtics of Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn, and KC Jones are actually the Clippers.