Tag: Paul Westphal

On this day: Celtics Scott born; Battie traded; Gamble debuted

On this day, former Celtic champion Charlie Scott was born, Tony Battie was traded, and Kevin Gamble debuted for the team.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion point and shooting guard Charles Thomas Scott was born in New York City in 1948. Better known as “Charlie” to many Celtics fans, the New Yorker broke the color barrier at the University of North Carolina as that famed school’s first Black scholarship athlete. He was drafted by Boston with the 106th pick of the 1970 NBA draft (there were many more rounds in that era).

Before he finished his NCAA playing days, he won a gold medal in the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City, Mexico, along with future teammate Jo Jo White.

Though drafted by Boston, Scott instead signed with the American Basketball Association’s (ABA — a competing league that later merged with the NBA) Virginia Squires for most of two seasons.

On this day: Grant Williams, Paul Westphal, Mark Blount, Darren Daye born

On this day, Boston Celtics Grant Williams, Paul Westphal, Mark Blount, and Darren Daye were born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, point and shooting guard Paul Douglas Westphal was born in 1950 in Torrance, California. A product of the University of Southern California Trojans basketball program that saw him play at an All-American level, Westphal would be picked up with the 10th overall pick of the 1972 NBA draft by the Celtics, with whom he would play three seasons between 1972 and 1975.

The Californian floor general would win a title with Boston in 1974 before he was traded with draft assets in exchange for Phoenix Suns point guard Charlie Scott in May 1975.

Westphal would average 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game across 224 contests played for the Celtics in the three seasons he was with the franchise.

On this day: Kevin Gamble, Gene Stump born; Paul Westphal debut

On this day, former Boston Celtics Kevin Gamble and Gene Stump were born, and Paul Westphal made his debut.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, small forward Kevin Douglas Gamble was born in Springfield, Illinois in 1965. An alum of the University of Iowa, Gamble was taken with the 63rd overall pick (there were many more rounds to the draft in that era) of the 1987 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.

He played for that team briefly before spending time as a member of several teams in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA — an analog to today’s G League), the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), and the World Basketball League (WBL), common destinations at that time for players not quite good enough for the NBA.

In December of 1988, Gamble got picked up by the Celtics to help cover for an injured Larry Bird and managed to parlay the opportunity into increasingly important roles, eventually becoming a starter by the 1990-91 season.

How many Boston Celtics are in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame?

No team in NBA history has produced more. How many can you name?

With Boston Celtics Hall of Fame Paul Pierce officially part of the incoming 2021 class and big man Kevin Garnett getting his formal induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in May 2021 — nearly a year after getting the nod due to the pandemic — all three members of the so-called “new Big Three” of KG, Pierce and Ray Allen have been ensconced in what serves as the Valhalla of basketball.

But they are far from the only Celtics so honored. In fact, there is a veritable host of Boston legends populating the Hoop Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts, just a short drive away from the NBA’s titletown. The Celtics have more players than any other team in league history.

Let’s take a look at the 40 Celtics who have been honored with a Hall of Fame induction.

Complete list of Boston Celtics in the Basketball Hall of Fame

Celtics Wire celebrates the 48 members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame with ties to the Boston Celtics franchise.

The Boston Celtics are one of the bedrock franchises in professional sports. Legends such as Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Tommy Heinsohn, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett dazzled fans with their athletic exploits and won the NBA championship in Boston.

A couple of hours down the Mass Pike in Springfield, no fewer than four dozen players, coaches, and contributors with ties to the Celtics franchise have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame over the years, spanning the decades from the first years of the storied ball club’s existence up to the team’s last era of contention.

Below, Celtics Wire celebrates the 49 members of the Hall of Fame with Celtics connections in a photo gallery.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 44

Today’s installment focuses on the dozen players who wore No. 44 over the years as of Aug. 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 dozen players who wore No. 44 over the years as of Aug. 2023.

On this day: Fitch hired; Westphal/Scott trade; ‘Beat L.A.’ chant born

On this day, Boston hired Bill Fitch as their head coach, Westphal was dealt for Scott, and the ‘Beat L.A.’ chants were born in a loss.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics head coach Bill Fitch was hired shortly after his resignation from the same role with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1979.

Fitch, who had coached at a number of collegiate posts before joining the NBA as coach of the Cavs, was a former Marine drill instructor whose rigorous approach to training made him popular with incoming rookie Larry Bird, who credits the Iowan with helping instill his high-energy work ethic. The Davenport native would win an NBA championship with the Celtics at the end of the 1980-81 season and would win his second league Coach of the Year honors for the season prior with the team.

Fitch would resign at the end of the 1982-83 season after being swept in the East Semis by the Milwaukee Bucks in four games after amassing a 242-86 regular-season record and a 26-19 postseason record, good for .738 and .578 winning records, respectively.

On this day: Celtic champ Paul Westphal drafted; Chuck Connors born

On this date, Hall of Fame Boston Celtics guard Paul Westphal was drafted, and former Celtics big man and famous actor Chuck Connors was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtic Hall of Fame guard Paul Westphal was picked up by the team tenth overall in the 1972 NBA draft after playing his college ball at USC. Westphal would play for three seasons with Boston, where he would win a championship in 1974 — just his second season in the league.

At the end of the 1974-75 season, Westphal was dealt with a pair of second-round draft picks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for point guard Charlie Scott. The California native would average 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game in his time with Boston.

He would pass away in January of 2021 after a long battle with cancer.

USC men’s basketball all-time roster: Trojan Legends

From Bill Sharman (pictured) in 1950 to Paul Westphal to Evan Mobley, here are the best #USC MBB players ever.

The history of USC basketball would have been very different if the Trojans’ best teams had been able to play in the NCAA Tournament. Yet, they weren’t.

Younger fans might have a hard time understanding that sentence, but it’s true: USC’s two greatest teams ever were not the 1940 and 1954 Final Four teams. The 1971 and 1974 teams merit that distinction. Yet, the NCAA Tournament had roughly two dozen teams back then, not the 68 we have today. USC would have been a No. 1 seed in 1971, and at least a No. 2 seed in 1974. Yet, only the champion of a conference went to the Big Dance back then. In the Pacific 8 Conference, that champion was — of course — John Wooden’s UCLA program. It locked out the best USC teams of all time.

The Trojans didn’t get the publicity or recognition they deserved back then … and they aren’t remembered in history the way they should be. If they had made the Final Four, the past 50 years of USC basketball might have been very different.

Some of the names on this list of all-time-great USC basketball players might be familiar. Many might not be. We wanted to make sure to honor both the best players on the 1971 team and the best players on USC’s other great teams throughout the years.

Enjoy this presentation of the all-time USC Trojans men’s basketball roster.

On this day: Celtics Scott born; Battie traded; Gamble debuted

On this day, former Celtic champion Charlie Scott was born, Tony Battie was traded, and Kevin Gamble debuted for the team.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion point and shooting guard Charles Thomas Scott was born in New York City in 1948.

Better known as “Charlie” to many Celtics fans, the New Yorker broke the color barrier at the University of North Carolina as that famed school’s first Black scholarship athlete. He was drafted by Boston with the 106th pick of the 1970 NBA draft (there were many more rounds in that era).

Before he finished his NCAA playing days, he won a gold medal in the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City, Mexico, along with future teammate Jo Jo White.

Though drafted by Boston, Scott instead signed with the American Basketball Association’s (ABA — a competing league that later merged with the NBA) Virginia Squires for most of two seasons.