On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary Boston power forward Paul Silas left us. Born in 1943 in Prescott, Arkansas, Silas and his extended family moved to California as part of the Great migration, living in Oakland California with cousins who would eventually become the Pointer Sisters and another who would play college ball with him at Creighton.
Drafted by the then-St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks in 1964, Silas would play for them and the Phoenix Suns before he was dealt to the Celtics in 1972. The McClymonds High graduate would win two of his three titles with Boston, and go on to play for the Denver Nuggets and Seattle SuperSonics before starting a three-decade career as an NBA coach.
His son Stephen has since followed him into the profession. Rest in Peace, Mr. Silas.