Tag: frank kudelka

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 21

Today’s installment focuses on the nine players who wore No. 21 over the years as of August 2023.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball, their unretired jersey numbers pack some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the nine players who wore No. 21 over the years as of August 2023.

On this day: Thompson, Counts, Bonham drafted; Garnett cut; Jones signed

On this day, Celtics champions John Thompson and Ron Bonham were drafted in 1964, and several notable roster changes took place.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied Massachusetts franchise would select four players of note in the 1964 NBA draft, held in New York City as it typically was in that era.

They did not however draft future Celtics champion forward Paul Silas, who was instead taken out of Creighton University by the (then) St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks in the second round of the draft with the 10th overall pick (there were many more rounds with far fewer teams in that era of the draft). Silas would play for the Hawks in St. Louis and after they moved to Atlanta, Georgia as well as the Phoenix Suns before being dealt to Boston in the spring of 1972.

There, he would win two banners, be elected to multiple All-Defensive teams, and an All-Star Game — among many other honors.

On this day: Thompson, Counts, Bonham drafted; Garnett cut; Jones signed

On this day, Celtics champions John Thompson and Ron Bonham were drafted in 1964, and several notable roster changes took place.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied Massachusetts franchise would select four players of note in the 1964 NBA draft, held in New York City as it typically was in that era.

They did not however draft future Celtics champion forward Paul Silas, who was instead taken out of Creighton University by the (then) St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks in the second round of the draft with the 10th overall pick (there were many more rounds with far fewer teams in that era of the draft). Silas would play for the Hawks in St. Louis and after they moved to Atlanta, Georgia as well as the Phoenix Suns before being dealt to Boston in the spring of 1972.

There, he would win two banners, be elected to multiple All-Defensive teams, and an All-Star Game — among many other honors.