Tag: orlando bubble

On this day: Celtics player, coach, commentator Tommy Heinsohn born, ’20 NBA strike

On this day in 1934, Boston legend Tommy Heinsohn was born, and the NBA went on strike for a day over police violence.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary big man Tommy Heinsohn was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1934. Heinsohn was an All-American who played his college ball at the College of the Holy Cross and was taken with a territorial pick (these no longer exist, but were created to keep local talents in the region they went to college) in the 1957 NBA draft by the Celtics.

Heinsohn garnered Rookie of the Year honors in a draft class with teammate Bill Russell and won a title that season. He won seven more with Boston as a player while making six All-Star games and four All-NBA teams.

After transitioning to the other side of the clipboard with the Celtics, Heinsohn won two more titles as Boston’s head coach.

On this day: Reggie Miller says no to joining Boston’s Banner 17 squad; Cs eliminate 76ers in Orlando bubble

On this day in 2007, legendary Indiana Pacers sharpshooter Reggie Miller declined an invite to join the roster that won Banner 17.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Indiana Pacers shooting guard legend Reggie Miller turned down Boston Celtics President Danny Ainge’s offer to join the 2007-08 Celtics as he sought to assemble a contender that summer. Miller, a luminary known for his lethal outside shot, had been retired for two seasons after 18 campaigns with the Pacers. However, he gave the offer real consideration when he received the call from Ainge.

“I’m always flattered when my name is mentioned as someone who
can still help an NBA team win a championship,” offered the then-NBA analyst for TNT via ESPN’s JA Adande.

“(I have) contacted Reggie and he is contemplating a comeback
with us,” shared Ainge on the prospect of adding Miller to the juggernaut he assembled.

On this day: Ex-Boston big man Dave Popson signs: Cs win Game 1 of Disney bubble 1st round vs. 76ers

On this day in 1990, Dave Popson signed with the team as a free agent, and 30 years later won Game 1 vs. the 76ers in the bubble.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston big man Dave Popson signed with the team as an unrestricted free agent in 1990. The 6-foot-10 power forward played his collegiate ball with the University of North Carolina. He was drafted 88th (there were several more rounds to the draft in that era) in the 1987 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons.

Popson played short stints with the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat before joining the Celtics. He also had stints in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and overseas playing for clubs based in France and Spain.

Popson played just 19 games for Boston, averaging 1.8 points per game with the team.

On this day: Boston finishes pandemic-halted 2019-20 regular season with loss to Wiz; Dennis Schroder signs

On this day, the Celtics played their last regular-season game of the pandemic-halted 2019-20 regular season and signed Dennis Schroder.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise fell 96-90 to a determined Washington Wizards squad in the Disney bubble restart of 2020 hosted at the ESPN parent company’s Lake Buena Vista, Florida-located Wide World of Sports complex.

To be fair, it was not exactly the Celtics’ best players taking the floor that night with Boston choosing to rest their starters with a first-round playoff matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers already locked in place. But the Wizards big man put up 26 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals for a career performance with teammate Troy Brown, Jr. turning in 17 points and 8 boards of his own.

The game was hard to watch for fans of both teams with neither shooting above 40% from the floor.

On this day: Antoine Walker born; NBA circulates visitor guidance, rules for Orlando bubble

On this day, former Boston Celtics forward Employee No. Eight — better known as Antoine Walker — was born in Chicago, Illinois.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics forward Antoine Walker was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1976. Walker played his college ball at the University of Kentucky, where he won an NCAA title in 1996, and he was drafted by the Celtics with the 6th pick of the 1996 NBA draft.

Walker made All-Rookie First Team in his inaugural season in the NBA, and, he reunited with college coach Rick Pitino when the former Kentucky coach took over as head coach and team president of Boston the following season. The Chicagoan played eight seasons with the Celtics in two stints.

He played seven seasons with Boston in his first stint, during which he was elected to three All-Star teams before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

On this day: Boston keeps Memphis from clinching playoff spot in 2020 Orlando bubble

The Celtics were at that time finally seeming to find a rhythm as the win against the Grizzlies pushed their first win streak since play resumed to four games.

On this date in Boston Celtics history, the Celtics kept the Memphis Grizzlies from clinching a postseason berth with a 122-107 win in the so-called Orlando bubble teams played in after the NBA restarted play following a nearly four-month pause in play due to the viral malady that put much of the rest of the global economy on ice.

The Celtics were finally seeming to find a rhythm as the win against the Grizzlies extended their first win streak since play resumed to four games after a 1-2 start. They had the added benefit of forcing Memphis to have to wait for another win to secure a spot in the 2020 NBA playoffs.

“I feel like every game we play it’s the underdog,” said Ja Morant of the loss via the AP.

On this day: Former Boston Celtics guard Lester Hudson born; Tristan Thompson traded

While he did not stick long, today is the birthday of former Celtics guard Lester Hudson; it’s also the date Tristan Thompson was dealt.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, point and shooting guard Lester Hudson III was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1984. Hudson would be drafted by the Celtics with the 58th pick of the 2009 NBA draft after playing his collegiate basketball at Southwest Tennessee Community College and at the University of Tennessee Martin. The Memphis native garnered All-American honors with the latter, the very first in UT Martin history to have such a recognition awarded to them.

After being taken by the Celtics in the draft, it was clear his game was not quite up to the level to earn much playing time with a team that was aiming for an NBA title, with the Banner 17 crew back at it trying to earn another title.

To that end, the team developed a plan to make use of the league’s developmental league to help bring Hudson along.

On this day: Boston big man Greg Kite born; Cs crush Nets in Orlando bubble

On this day in 1961, Boston Celtics champion reserve center Greg Kite was born in Houston, Texas, and Boston beat the Nets in the Orlando bubble.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion reserve big man Gregory Fuller Kite would be born in Houston, Texas in 1961. Kite began playing the sport at age 10 for a local YWCA team and grew to 6-foot-10 by the age of 15. He would play his collegiate basketball for the Brigham Young University Cougars after being recruited by major programs like Duke, Kentucky, and UCLA, where he played with future Boston teammates Danny Ainge and Fred Roberts.

Kite would have the luck to be drafted by the Celtics with the 21st overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft, where he was reunited with Roberts and Ainge.

“That summer the Celtics traded Rick Robey to the Phoenix Suns for Dennis Johnson and a first-round pick,” explained Kite in an interview with Michael McLellan of Celtics Nation.

On this day: Shaq signs, Robert Parish leaves, Tiny Archibald trade; Arnie Risen passes

On this date in Boston Celtics history, the team added Shaquille O’Neal and Nate Archibald but lost Robert Parish in free agency.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team signed Hall of Fame big man Shaquille “Shaq” Rashaun O’Neal to the final stint of his storied career.  The Newark, New Jersey native was enticed by the principal owner of the Celtics Wyc Grousbeck, who used O’Neal’s rivalry with Kobe Bryant over the number of banners each had won to convince him to sign with Boston.

After securing head coach Doc Rivers’ approval on an assurance there would be no locker room subterfuge as had followed Shaq in the past. O’Neal signed a two-year minimum deal worth $2.8 million on this date on this date in 2010.

Shaq’s tenure as a Celtic did not result in a ring for him, with injury to him and several teammates derailing a Finals run and ultimately ending in his retirement from the sport at the end of the 2010-11 season.

Grant Williams opens up on his time in the Orlando bubble with Kemba Walker

Walker proved to be an exceptional teammate during the Celtics’ bubble run.

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Now a member of the Dallas Mavericks organization after being signed and traded there by the Boston Celtics as a restricted free agent this offseason, forward Grant Williams linked up with fellow NBA player Theo Pinson to talk about his time bunking with former Boston floor general Kemba Walker during the pandemic shutdown and playing with Boston in the Orlando bubble.

Walker proved an exceptional teammate during the Celtics’ bubble run, offering support and hospitality to his fellow players, particularly Williams, a native of Walker’s adopted home of Charlotte, North Carolina. The bubble experience lasted around three months, bringing the team closer together.

The Celtics faced challenges entering the bubble, having not played in months, but they remained focused on winning, and the camaraderie among players, including Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, intensified during the experience.

To hear more of Williams’ story on Pinson’s Tidal League “Run Your Race” podcast, check out the clip embedded above.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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