semih erden – Syndication Server

On this day: Walker, Perkins, Erden, Harangody trades; Becker born

On this day in Celtics history, Boston dealt away Antoine Walker, Kendrick Perkins, Semih Erden, and Luke Harangody, and Moe Becker was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, forward Antoine Devon Walker began playing for the team that drafted him in what would be his second stint with Boston after being dealt back to the Celtics by the Atlanta Hawks.

Walker had been selected by the storied franchise out of the University of Kentucky with the sixth overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft. Now, he was reunited with his former college head coach Rick Pitino after his rookie season (in which he made All-Rookie First Team) with the Celtics as Pitino was hired as the team’s head coach and president.

Walker would link up with future Boston champion Paul Pierce after he was also drafted by the Celtics in 1998 to make a few deep runs in the postseason in his first stint with the team.

On this day: Celtic center Luke Harangody born; Wallace-Hoefer trade

On this day, former Celtic center Luke Harangody was born, and Boston traded Red Wallace for Charlie Hoefer.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, big man Luke Cameron Harangody was born in Decatur, Illinois back in 1988. Harangody would play his college ball with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s basketball team, where he won three consecutive Second Team All-American honors between 2008 and 2010, winning Big East Player of the Year in 2008.

Harangody was selected with the 52nd overall pick of the Celtics in the 2010 NBA draft, signing a two-year deal with the team in August of that year. The Illinois native would debut against the Detroit Pistons in November of that same year, playing a total of 49 games for the team that drafted him.

Harangody was then traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with center Semih Erden for draft assets.

Jan. 28, 2011; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Boston Celtics forward Luke Harangody against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

On this day: Celtics first game ever in 1946, MANY players, coach John Russell debut; Hal Crisler passes

On this day in Celtics history, the storied franchise played its first game.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise played the first game of its storied history in 1946 as it kicked off play in the brand-new Basketball Association of America, which became the National Basketball Association in 1949).

That first contest was not an auspicious one. The Celtics dropped their inaugural game to the (now defunct) Providence Steamrollers, 59-53. Boston fell to 0-1 to start the 1946-47 BAA season on a sour note that offered no hints of the many wins to come. It was of course the Celtics’ debut for the entire team, but in that era, sparse counting stat records were kept — or even conceived of.

With that in mind, let’s review the details we do have.

Who are the best international players to play for the Boston Celtics?

From Charlie Hoefer to Alaa Abdenaby to Rick Fox to Kristaps Porzingis, there has been no shortage of players who were born abroad who have worn the green and white.

The Boston Celtics are a storied franchise for more than just their titles. They have been a trailblazing team in terms of signing and fielding players from all over the world, a philosophy that started in their first season.

From Charlie Hoefer to Alaa Abdelnaby to Rick Fox to Kristaps Porzingis, there has been no shortage of players born abroad who have worn the green and white.

But who were the best and who were the worst? What criteria should we use to judge them across eras? In the spirit of the annual arrival of #RankingSeason, the thing to do is try.

And try the hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” did on a recent episode.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear how they assessed the international Celtics of all time.

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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Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 86

This is every player in Boston’s history who wore the Celtics’ No. 86 jersey for at least one game 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 two players who wore No. 86 over the years as of Aug. 2023.

His journey was marked by incredible resilience in the face of a near-fatal stabbing, clutch performances on the league’s biggest stage, and an iconic NBA title. https://t.co/TlbskO994E

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) July 27, 2023

On this day: Bowen, Declercq sign; Erden, Williams born

On this day, former Boston Celtics Bruce Bowen and Andrew DeClercq signed deals with the franchise, and big men Semih Erden and Willie Williams were born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, small forward Bruce Bowen signed as a free agent with the team. A native of Merced, California, the contract would be Bowen’s first real shot in the NBA (he had turned a pair of 10-day deals with the Miami Heat into a rest-of-season contract the season before but only played in a single game) after going undrafted out of Cal State Fullerton in the 1993 NBA draft.

After stints overseas and in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA – a predecessor to the G League), Bowen would latch on to the Heat and then Celtics, for whom he would play two seasons.

He would average 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while showing hints of becoming the fearsome defender he would later be known for.

On this day: Marcus Smart, Semih Erden signed; Bob Duffy born

On this day, veteran guard Marcus Smart and former Celtic center Semih Erden signed contracts with Boston, and former Celtic forward Bob Duffy was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, veteran guard Marcus Smart signed his $14.8 million rookie-scale contract with the team. Drafted by the Celtics out of Oklahoma State with the sixth overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft, the Flower Mound, Texas native was named to the All-Rookie Second Team in his inaugural season.

Smart was quick to craft a reputation as one of the NBA’s most dogged defenders at any position, able to defend almost any player in the league for at least short stints. The 6-foot-3 point guard would later make All-Defensive First Teams in 2019, 2020, and 2022.

At the end of the Celtics’ 2021-22 campaign, the defining honor of his career was awarded to Smart after he became the first guard since Gary Payton to win Defensive Player of the Year.

On this day: Smart, Walker, Fox drafted; Perkins, Banks, Walker trade; Hewson passes

On this day, the Boston Celtics drafted Marcus Smart, Antoine Walker and Rick Fox, and traded for Kendrick Perkins and Marcus Banks.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the Boston Celtics selected two players of note in the 2014 NBA draft, held in Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The first was 6-foot-3 guard Marcus Smart out of Oklahoma State University, taken with the sixth overall pick of the draft. A native of Flower Mound, Texas, Smart fit in well and would make the 2014-15 All-Rookie Second Team in his inaugural season with the Celtics.

Smart’s brand of intense, all-out attack frequently saw the former Cowboy banged up with a litany of minor injuries, and his professionalism and dedication would position the young guard as the “heart and soul” and unofficial captain of the team in just a few short seasons.

Now with the Memphis Grizzlies, he earned 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2021-22 All-Defensive First Teams honors along with winning the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award — among many other honors.