Tag: willie williams

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 28

Today’s installment focuses on the 14 players who wore No. 28 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 14 players who wore No. 28 over the years as of August 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 1997, former Boston Celtics 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 (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.

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