On this date in Boston Celtics history, forward Tony Lavelli was born in 1926 in Somerville, Massachusetts. A product of Yale University, Lavelli was drafted fourth overall by the Celtics in the 1949 Basketball Association of America (BAA – a precursor league to today’s NBA) draft, the final such draft before the league became the NBA of today after merging with the U.S. National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949.
The former Bulldog wasn’t with the team for the long haul, however. The Celtics short-timer played just one season (in fact, a mere 56 games) with the team before leaving in free agency to play for the New York Knicks at the end of the 1949-50 season.
Lavelli averaged 8.8 points per game with the team (they had yet to begin recording rebounds).
A man of many talents: Yale basketball star Tony Lavelli plays his accordion, circa 1948: http://t.co/AGRiHgsw | pic.twitter.com/OfcaWtvF
— LIFE (@LIFE) March 16, 2012