The Boston Celtics have traded for, signed, and drafted players from nearly every U.S. state and countries across the globe. From Alabama to Yugoslavia, the Celtics have a history of thoroughly seeking talent to succeed in the NBA.
Since their beginnings in the Basketball Association of America (a precursor league of the NBA) in the earliest years of the Association, the organization has tirelessly searched for talent since its inception.
In this installment of our series documenting the origins of every player who has represented the Celtics, we will focus on players from California who have played for Boston.
Our focus in this article is Don Barksdale. An alum of UCLA, he went unselected in the 1947 BAA Draft, playing in other leagues until he signed
with the (defunct) Baltimore Bullets in 1951.
The Hall of Fame Oakland, California native was dealt to the Boston Celtics in 1953 for the final two seasons of his NBA career, one of the first Black men to play in the league.
During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Barksdale put up 9.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Every player from California to play for the Boston Celtics - Don Barksdale
