Lou Tsioropoulos – Syndication Server

On this day: Celtics Carlisle, Turner, Morgan born; Tsioropoulos debut; Beenders passed

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Rick Carlisle, Evan Turner, and Rex Morgan were born, Lou Tsioropoulos debuted, and Hank Beenders passed away.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, small forward and current Indiana Pacers head coach Richard “Rick” Preston Carlisle was born in Ogdensburg, New York in 1959. Carlisle played his college ball with the Universities of Maine and Virginia, leading the latter to a Final Four loss to Hakeem Olajuwon’s Houston Cougars in 1984.

The former Cavalier would be selected 70th overall in the 1984 NBA draft (there were several more rounds in that era), and would go on to win a title with the team in 1986 in a reserve role before being waived by the team in the fall of 1987.

Carlisle averaged 2.2 points and an assist per game as a Celtic.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 20

Today’s installment focuses on the 31 players who wore No. 20 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 in 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 31 players who wore No. 20 over the years as of August 2023.

The NBA great was better known for his long-distance shooting (thus the nickname “Pistol”) but was also among the better and more creative floor generals of his time. https://t.co/Ex5VjeWqdA

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 16, 2022

On this day: Thompson passes; Russell signs; Tsioropoulos, Gotham born

On this date in Celtics history, John Thompson left us, Bil Russell signed his second contract with the Celtics and Lou Tsioropolous and Rich Gotham were born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, small forward Lou Tsioropoulos was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1930. Tsioropoulos played his college basketball with the University of Kentucky. The school became entangled in a point-shaving scandal while Tsioropoulos was playing for the team with future Celtics teammate Frank Ramsey and fellow NBAer Cliff Hagan.

After Tsioropoulos, Ramsey, and Hagan completed their fourth season with Kentucky, they were drafted by Boston (Hagan never played for the Celtics, his rights part of the package dealt for Bill Russell), but returned to play one more season at UK with a season of eligibility created by the penalty of their teammates involved in the point-shaving scandal.

After an Air Force tour, Tsioropoulos joined the Celtics in 1956, playing three seasons for them, winning a championship in two (1957 and 1959). He averaged 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in that stretch (Editor’s note — this article has been updated to clarify that Tsioropoulos was not involved in the point-shaving scandal).

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 29

Today’s installment focuses on the four players who wore No. 29 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 played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in 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 four players who wore No. 29 over the years as of August 2023.

Don’t miss out on this captivating deep-dive into the story behind the John Havlicek NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. https://t.co/gy5yA6mSQ5

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 16, 2023

On this day: Irving, Finkel trades; Edney, Miles sign; Green re-signs; Kottman born

On this day, the Boston Celtics traded for Kyrie Irving and Hank Finkel, re-signed Jeff Green and former center Harold Kottman was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team traded fan-favorite All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with forward Jae Crowder, big man Ante Zizic, and draft assets for All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving in 2017.

“Kyrie is one of the best scorers in the NBA. He has proven that on the biggest stage, the NBA Finals, the last three years,” said Celtics President Danny Ainge in a press release at the time.

“He’s been an NBA champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and (at that time) a four-time All-Star,” added Ainge. “For all he’s accomplished, we think his best years are ahead of him.”

Thomas’ hip injury would cause him to fail his physical, requiring the addition of more draft assets to complete the trade later in the week. We all know how Irving’s tenure went in Boston, but at the time, the deal made sense, as painful as it was to part ways with Thomas.

On this day: Bob Cousy’s last game as a Celtic; Frank Ramsey drafted

On this day, Boston point guard legend Bob Cousy played his last game for the Celtics, and Hall of Fame wing Frank Ramsey was drafted.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Celtics point guard luminary Bob Cousy finished his career with the Celtics with a bang in 1963, defeating the longtime Boston rival Los Angeles Lakers 112-109 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals four that year, securing Boston’s fifth consecutive NBA championship.

Cousy scored 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists in his final game as a Celtic, shooting 8-of-16 from the floor. The Holy Cross alum played for 13 seasons with Boston, virtually his entire career apart from seven games as player-coach for the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969-70 season.

He would win six championships with the Celtics, and be elected to 13 NBA All-Star Games among many other honors over that stretch. Cousy averaged 18.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in his time with Boston.

On this day: Thompson passes; Russell signs; Tsioropoulos, Gotham born

On this date in Celtics history, John Thompson left us, Bil Russell signed his second contract with the Celtics and Lou Tsioropolous and Rich Gotham were born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, small forward Lou Tsioropoulos was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1930.

Tsioropoulos played his college basketball with the University of Kentucky, where he was involved in a point-shaving scandal with future Celtics teammate Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan.

The scandal didn’t deter Boston from drafting not only Tsioropoulos but Ramsey and Hagan as well in the 1953 NBA draft. After the trio completed their final season with Kentucky (they were eligible for the draft because the three had graduated, but they returned to play one more season with UK), Tsioropoulos joined the Air Force and joined the team afterward in 1956.

The Lynn native played three seasons for the Celtics, winning a championship in two of them (1957 and 1959), averaging 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in his time with Boston.