On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion point guard Jo Jo White was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1946. White played collegiately at the University of Kansas and later played for the United States Olympic Team at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. That team earned the gold medal.
After the Olympics, the Missouri native was selected by the Celtics with the ninth pick of the 1969 NBA draft despite White having a mandatory two-year commitment to the U.S. Marines. Boston did not have to wait the full two years for White to join the team, however.
Iconic general manager Red Auerbach managed to get White’s tour with the Marines shortened so he could play that season with the Celtics.