On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion reserve big man Brian Scalabrine was signed by the team in free agency in 2005. The Enumclaw, Washington native joined the Celtics for a five-year deal worth a total of $15 million.
A product of the University of Southern California, the White Mamba — as he was sometimes called — joined the NBA via the draft, taken 34th overall by the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets, where he played for a total of four seasons before leaving the team for Boston as an unrestricted free agent. Scalabrine would play with the Celtics for five more seasons, winning a title with the team in 2008.
He would later move on to the Chicago Bulls where he would finish his career as a player. He then tried his hand at assistant coaching and broadcasting, where he still works today with NBC Boston Sports.