Today in Boston Celtics history, Willie Naulls was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1934. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played under the legendary Hall of Fame coach John Wooden. Naulls was selected as the ninth pick in the 1956 NBA Draft by the St. Louis Hawks, which are now known as the Atlanta Hawks. He played 19 games with that organization before being traded to the New York Knicks early in his rookie year. Naulls spent the bulk of his career with the Knicks, who named him the first Black team captain in league history.
It wasn't the last trade of his career, or you would not be reading about him on this site. In December 1962, Naulls was dealt to the San Francisco (now Golden State) Warriors, who dealt him to Boston
the following September.
The Texan wing finished his career as a Celtic, earning three titles with the team between 1964 and 1966.
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It is also the date the Celtics signed shooting guard Jimmy Oliver as an unrestricted free agent in 1993. A former Purdue Boilermaker, Oliver was selected 39th in the 1991 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Released by that team after his rookie season, Oliver bounced around in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA – the equivalent of the G League today) before joining Boston, with which he played 44 games in the 1993-94 season.
He averaged 4.9 points and a rebound per game as a Celtic.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Willie Naulls born; Jimmy Oliver signed
