On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary big man Bill Russell played in the very first game of his storied career with the team, which happened to be a 95-93 win over the (then) St. Louis Hawks at the team’s home arena of the original Boston Garden.
It was the start to a career that would see the Celtics win 11 titles under Russell, along with five Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, 12 All-Star bids, and as many All-League honors among countless other accolades, including induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
But before all of that happened, Russell played 21 minutes in this contest against the Hawks, scoring 6 points and pulling down 16 rebounds, and logging a single assist.