On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics head coach James “Jim” Francis Xavier O’Brien — son-in-law of Hall of Fame head coach Jack Ramsay — was born in 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
O’Brien, who joined the Celtics franchise along with his boss Rick Pitino, served as an assistant in Boston under the ex-Celtic president of basketball operations for three-and-a-half seasons. His role as an assistant with the Celtics ended when he assumed head coaching duties in the wake of Pitino’s resignation in the middle of the 2000-01 season.
He continued in that role for another three-and-a-half seasons until resigning himself in protest over newly hired general manager Danny Ainge‘s decision to move two of his favorite players, Eric Williams and Tony Battie, as part of a roster tear-down.