Tag: Marvin Barnes

On this day: ex-Boston big man Marvin Barnes passes; John Thomas born

On this day, former Boston big man Marvin Barnes passed away, and ex-Celtic center John Thomas was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics power forward Marvin Barnes passed away in 2014. Barnes was a native of nearby Providence, Rhode Island. After being born in the smallest state in the U.S. in 1952, he played his NCAA basketball with the hometown Providence College Friars before being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1974 NBA draft.

The Rhode Islander elected to sign with the Spirits of St. Louis of the American Basketball Association (ABA) instead, playing for that franchise for two seasons before joining the Detroit Pistons in 1976 after the Spirits of St. Louis dispersal draft.

The dispersal draft was the result of the ABA-NBA merger when that team did not join the NBA.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 27

Today’s installment focuses on the 12 players who wore No. 27 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 12 players who wore No. 27 over the years as of August 2023.

On this day: Reggie Lewis dies; Brown, Rozier, Green, Crowder signed

On this day, former Celtics forward Reggie Lewis died unexpectedly while working out due to a heart arrhythmia.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, rising franchise star Reggie Lewis would die unexpectedly after collapsing on a basketball court at Brandeis University while working out in the offseason in 1993.

Lewis, who had previously been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat after another on-court collapse during the prior season, passed away after attempts by local police to resuscitate the Northeastern product were not successful. The 22nd overall pick of the 1987 NBA draft for the Celtics, Lewis was widely seen as a critical part of Boston’s future, and the bridge to a successful future after the Larry Bird – Kevin McHale – Robert Parish era.

Along with the loss of forward Len Bias in 1986, this was a major contributing cause to the team’s ‘wilderness era’ of mediocrity that would last more than a decade.