Today in Boston Celtics history, Paul Pierce faced a life-threatening crisis 22 years ago today when he was nearly stabbed to death in a Boston nightclub. The future Hall of Famer from the University of Kansas was selected by the Celtics as the 10th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft and was preparing to enter his third season in the league when an assailant stabbed him 11 times in the face, neck, and chest at the popular "Buzz Club" in Boston's Theater District. Teammate Tony Battie played a crucial role in saving Pierce's life by swiftly transporting the Los Angeles native to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
There, Pierce underwent emergency surgery that likely saved his life. Despite the near-death experience, Pierce recovered quickly
and played all 82 regular-season games in the 2000-01 NBA season. He later pledged $2.5 million to the Tufts-New England Medical Center which helped save his life.
Years later, Pierce revealed he had suffered from depression and paranoia (especially in crowds) due to the incident, hiring round-the-clock police protection and carrying a gun for some time.
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On this date in 1986, the Celtics obtained big man Fred Roberts from the Utah Jazz for a first-round pick. Roberts played two seasons with Boston, averaging 5.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and an assist per game before being selected by the Miami Heat in the 1988 NBA expansion draft.
A little less than a year later, the Jazz used the pick they'd received for Roberts to select current Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan.
Historic milestones
Today is the day that new Celtics owners Bill Chisholm, Aditya Mittal, and other key members of the team's new ownership group were introduced to the media, fans of the team, and the public writ large. It was the final step in the process of the sale of the franchise from the previous ownership group helmed by Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca.
It is the date of Boston's last win in the Disney bubble, a 121-108 decision against the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the 2020 Eastern Conference finals. The win was driven by 31 points and 10 rebounds from All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum and 28 points from his partner on the wing, Jaylen Brown.
"It's not going to be perfect," Tatum said after the game via the AP. "You just want to give yourself a chance."
"Boston played great in that second half," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra related. "They deserved and earned what they got."
Birthdays
Today is the birthday of Bob McAdoo, born this day in 1951 in Greensboro, North Carolina. A graduate of UNC, McAdoo was drafted by the then-Buffalo Braves (now, Celtics – it's a long story), and played for them and the New York Knicks before being traded to Boston in 1979 on a lark by the Celtics' team owner in a move that nearly drove away legendary manager Red Auerbach. The North Carolina native played 20 games for the Celtics before he was again dealt to the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 20.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block per game over that stretch.
McAdoo shares that birthday with former Celtics draft pick Chauncey Billups, who came into the world on this day in 1976 in Denver, Colorado. Drafted from his hometown University of Colorado, Billups played 51 games of his rookie season with the Celtics. He was traded away by general manager Rick Pitino, along with Dee Brown, Roy Rogers, and John Thomas, to the Toronto Raptors for Kenny Anderson, Popeye Jones, and Zan Tabak. Billups logged 11.1 points, 4.3 boards, and 1.1 assists per contest in that period.
Finally, the two also share their birthday with Carl Braun, a native of Brooklyn, New York, who was born in 1927. The one-time Colgate player played the last season of a 13-year career with the Celtics after spending the previous 12 with the Knicks. Braun appeared in just 48 games for Boston. He averaged 3.7 points, 1 rebound, and 1.5 assists as a Celtic.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Pierce survives stabbing; Roberts trade; last win in Orlando bubble
