Tag: Toby Kimball

On this day: ex-Celts Jackson, Hewson, Kimball, Lovellette born

On this day, former Boston Celtics Demetrius Jackson, Jack Hewson, Toby Kimball, and Clyde Lovellette were born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former point guard Demetrius Jackson was born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1994. Jackson played collegiately for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, with whom he made second-team All-ACC honors and was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.

The Indiana native was drafted by the Celtics with the 45th pick of the 2016 NBA draft, and he signed with the team on July 27 of that year. He spent most of his sole season with Boston shuttling back and forth between the Celtics and the Maine Red Claws — Boston’s developmental affiliate in the NBA’s G League as he worked on his game in the hopes of securing a longer-term deal.

That wasn’t in the cards with the Celtics, however. The team cut Jackson the following summer. He averaged 2 points per game at the NBA level with Boston.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 26

Today’s installment focuses on the nine players who wore No. 26 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 and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack 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 nine players who wore No. 26 over the years as of August 2023.

On this day: Pitino hired; DJ retired; 1965 NBA draft; 1968 expansion draft

On this day, Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and team president of the Boston Celtics, Dennis Johnson retired, and 3 Cs were taken in the ’68 expansion draft.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former head coach and team president Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and general manager of the team in 1997. He had previously coached at the NBA level as a moderately successful head coach of the New York Knicks between 1987 and 1989, and most recently at Kentucky in the NCAA ranks.

His tenure with the Celtics went considerably worse, with the pressure to return to greatness after the longest losing streak in team history undoubtedly a factor in the several questionable ‘win-now’ decisions made by Pitino. The New Yorker would throw in the towel after four seasons with the franchise, amassing a 102-146 record in the regular season, good for a .411 winning percentage.

He never made the postseason in his role as team president and head coach.

On this day: IT goes for 53, Coach Russell hangs first banner; beat 76ers in ’81 ECF

On this day in 2017, Isaiah Thomas hung 53 points on the Wizards on his late sister’s birthday, and in 1968 Bill Russell won his first championship as a coach.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Boston big man luminary Bill Russell won his first NBA championship in 1968 serving as player-coach of his Celtics squad when Boston dispatched their longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers 124-109 on the road in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Celtics forward John Havlicek led all players with 40 points and 10 rebounds, forward Bailey Howard added 30 points and 11 boards, and point guard Larry Siegfried chipped in another 22 points and 6 assists in the win. It was the Celtics’ 10th banner hung as a franchise, the first won in Russell’s rookie season and his penultimate overall.

It was also the first championship won without legendary general manager Red Auerbach serving in the role of head coach. It was the first time NBA play had taken place in the month of May, and the first of the four major U.S. sports to see a Black head coach win a championship in the modern era.

On this day: 3 players lost to 1967 expansion draft; Amir Johnson born

On this day, ex-Boston Celtics big man Amir Johnson was born, and three players were taken from the team in the 1967 NBA expansion draft.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team would lose several players to the expansion draft held in 1963 to populate two new teams being added to the league.

Expansion drafts function similarly to the regular draft, except the team or teams joining the league can raid the rosters of existing teams for players save for a certain number of “protected” players each team can prevent from being drafted away to the expansion team or teams.

The new teams in question would be the San Diego Rockets and Seattle Supersonics, the former now relocated in Houston, Texas as the Houston Rockets since relocating to Texas in 1971, and the latter now the Oklahoma City Thunder since moving to that state in 2008. Boston would lose three players in total to the two expansion teams.

On this day: IT goes for 53, Coach Russell hangs first banner; beat 76ers in ’81 ECF

On this day in 2017, Isaiah Thomas hung 53 points on the Wizards on his late sister’s birthday, and in 1968 Bill Russell won his first championship as a coach.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Boston big man luminary Bill Russell won his first NBA championship in 1968 serving as player-coach of his Celtics squad when Boston dispatched their longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers 124-109 on the road in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Celtics forward John Havlicek led all players with 40 points and 10 rebounds, forward Bailey Howard added 30 points and 11 boards and point guard Larry Siegfried chipped in another 22 points and 6 assists in the win. It was the Celtics’ 10th banner hung as a franchise, the first won in Russell’s rookie season and his penultimate overall.

It was also the first championship won without legendary general manager Red Auerbach serving in the role of head coach. It was the first time NBA play had taken place in the month of May, and first of the four major U.S. sports to see a Black head coach win a championship in the modern era.

On this day: Pitino hired; DJ retired; 1968 expansion draft takes 3 Cs

On this day, Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and team president of the Boston Celtics, Dennis Johnson retired, and 3 Cs were taken in the ’68 expansion draft.

On this day in 1997, former Boston Celtics head coach and team president Rick Pitino was hired as head coach and general manager of the team.

He had previously coached at the NBA level as a moderately successful head coach of the New York Knicks between 1987 and 1989, and most recently at Kentucky in the NCAA ranks.

His tenure with the Celtics went considerably worse, with the pressure to return to greatness after the longest losing streak in team history undoubtedly a factor in the several questionable ‘win-now’ decisions made by Pitino.

The New Yorker would throw in the towel after four seasons with the franchise, amassing a 102-146 record in the regular season, good for a .411 winning percentage.

He never made the postseason in his role as team president and head coach.

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On this day: 3 players lost to 1967 expansion draft; Amir Johnson born

On this day, ex-Boston Celtics big man Amir Johnson was born, and three players were taken from the team in the 1967 NBA expansion draft.

On this day in 1967, the Boston Celtics lost three players to the expansion draft held to populate two new teams being added to the league.

Those teams would be the San Diego Rockets and Seattle Supersonics, the former now relocated in Houston, Texas as the Houston Rockets, and the latter now the Oklahoma City Thunder since 2008.

Expansion drafts function similar to the regular draft, except the team or teams joining the league can raid the rosters of existing teams save for a certain number of “protected” players each team can prevent from being drafted away to the expansion team or teams.

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