On this day in 1923, former Boston Celtic forward Don Barksdale was born in Oakland California.
He would play his college ball at UCLA, becoming the first black All-American in NCAA history, and would become the first African-American to win a gold medal in the 1948 Olympic Games before moving on to the NBA.
After some short stints with local clubs, Barksdale would be signed by the Baltimore Bullets (not connected to the later team of the same name that is now the Washington Wizards) before being traded to the Celtics soon after.
The Oakland product would play two season with Boston before ankle injuries ended his playing career, and would average 9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists with the team.
It is also the anniversary of the Celtics very first playoff win, in 1948.
It came over the now-defunct Chicago Stags, one of the first NBA teams, and saw Boston win the game 81-77 — but lose the series 2-1.
Three wins of note have come to Boston on this date since the season of their last championship in 2007-08 as well.
The first was a 107-97 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in 2011.
Point guard Rajon Rondo led the team with 22 points and 14 assists, and Paul Pierce contributed 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Kevin Garnett added 20, and reserve center Glen Davis put up 16 points and 8 boards off the bench.
The second was a close, 117-116 win over the Orlando Magic in 2017 that saw point guard Isaiah Thomas score 35 points to hold onto their lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East standings.
Forward Jae Crowder added 18 points in the victory.
“Any way we can get a win is what we’re looking forward to,” Thomas said of the Magic via the Associated Press. “They’re a different team. … They’ve been playing a lot better since the All-Star break.”
Finally, Boston had a 110-99 win over the Toronto Raptors today in 2018 after a big game from Marcus Morris (he had yet to become a Sr.).
The Kansas product scored 25 points and 9 rebounds before getting ejected in the waning moments of the contest.
Forward Jayson Tatum put up 24 points, 6 boards and 4 assists, and guard Terry Rozier added 21 points and 7 assists.
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