On this day in Boston Celtics history, shooting guard Chris Ford was traded to the team from the Detroit Pistons with draft assets for Earl Tatum in 1978. Ford, a product of the Villanova Wildcats, was taken by the Pistons with the 17th overall pick of the 1972 NBA draft after spending four seasons with his college alma mater.
He played for Detroit for seven seasons before he was dealt to the Celtics, developing a long-range shot he would eventually use to sink the first 3-pointer in NBA history, even if it wasn’t used anywhere near as often as it is today.
In a neat wrinkle of history, the 3 came in the same game Boston icon Larry Bird made his NBA debut in 1979.