On this day in 1957, legendary Boston Celtics big man Kevin McHale was born in Hibbing, Minnesota.
McHale would not stray far from home to play his college ball, playing for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, where he won All-Big Ten honors in 1979 and 1980. The 6-foot-10 power forward would be taken third in the 1980 NBA draft after general manager Red Auerbach dealt Boston’s No. 1 pick for center Robert Parish and the selection used to take McHale. The deal would set up the Celtics to have one of the greatest frontcourts of all time along with small forward Larry Bird.
Happy birthday to 7x All-Star and 3x @NBA Champion, Kevin McHale đđâď¸ pic.twitter.com/iitUHeIhWn
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 19, 2020