On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics point and shooting guard Sihugo “Si” Green passed away after a long battle with cancer in 1980 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born in New York City, New York in 1933, Green would play his college ball for the Duquesne University Dukes between 1953 and 1956, with the New York native getting selected first overall in the 1956 NBA draft by the (then) Rochester Royals (now, Sacramento Kings).
Green would play for the then-Royals, the (then) St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks, a pair of currently defunct teams (the Chicago Packers and Zephyrs) as well as the (then) Baltimore Bullets (now, Washington Wizards) before joining the Celtics via trade.
Famous for being the top overall pick in the draft that the Celtics landed iconic center Bill Russell second overall in the 1956 NBA draft, Green averaged 3.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game with Boston.