Today in Boston Celtics history, Emmette "Em" Bryant (before you ask, he is not related to Kobe Bryant), was traded to the Boston Celtics from the Phoenix Suns in 1968 in exchange for a second-round draft pick in the 1969 NBA Draft.
Bryant hailed from Chicago, Illinois, and played his collegiate basketball at DePaul University with the Blue Demons men's basketball program. His performance there attracted him some national attention, leading to his selection as the 53rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 1964 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, during a time when the annual summer event included many more rounds than it does today. He played four seasons with New York before being taken by the Suns in the 1968 expansion draft held to populate
their roster and that of the Milwaukee Bucks, two new teams joining the NBA that year.
Bryant never suited up for Phoenix, however, with fate having other plans for his career.
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The new NBA franchise instead turned around and dealt the DePaul alum to the Celtics on this date. The former Knick would play 151 games over two seasons with Boston between 1968 and 1970, winning a title with the Celtics in 1969.
He was again taken in an expansion draft in 1970, selected to join the newly-formed Buffalo Braves that year from Boston's unprotected players.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Em Bryant trade from Suns
