Today in Boston Celtics history, Paul Pierce was born in 1977 in Oakland, California. As a graduate of Kansas, Pierce fell to the 10th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, picked by a Celtics team that had seen better days. Pierce made the All-Rookie First Team in his inaugural season, and quickly cemented his status as a star on the rise. He made his first All-Star team in 2002, two seasons after a stabbing incident in a local nightclub nearly cost him his life.
Famously, it somehow did not cause him to miss a single game of that season. The Oakland native was a loyal soldier through the worst seasons in Boston's history, but began to chafe before (then) team president Danny Ainge brought Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to the Celtics in 2007. Boston and Pierce
won their first title the subsequent season, and while that group never made it over the hump again, Pierce racked up ten All-Star bids, four All-NBA teams, and a Finals MVP among several other honors.
Pierce averaged 21.8 points, 6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game with the Celtics before he was traded with Garnett and teammate Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013.
Birthdays
Pierce shares his birthday with Glenn "Doc" Rivers, born this day in 1963 in Chicago, Illinois. Rivers played basketball with Marquette and was taken 31st in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Rivers spent his NBA playing career with Atlanta, the New York Knicks, and San Antonio Spurs before making the jump to coaching with the Orlando Magic before joining Boston in 2004, where he won a title with Pierce in 2008. Rivers coached the Celtics until 2013 when he left to head the Los Angeles Clippers – a position he left from to join the Philadelphia 76ers in October 2020.
Jermaine O'Neal shares the birthday, born in 1978 in Columbia, South Carolina. O'Neal was a direct-from-high school prospect drafted 17th by the Portland Trail Blazers, who he played for along with the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat before joining the Celtics in 2010. It was a snake-bit tenure, with O'Neal only able to play 24 games in his first of two seasons, and just 25 more the following due to injuries. He averaged 5.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Historic milestones
Today is also the debut date of former Boston big man Garfield Smith, who first played for the Celtics in a 114-107 loss to the New York Knicks in 1970. An alum of Eastern Kentucky University drafted by Boston 32 overall in 1968, Smith logged 4 points and 4 rebounds in 21 minutes of play, shooting 1-of-3 from the field and fouling 3 times for a solid first game at the NBA level.
It is also the anniversary of the debut of Celtics small forward Jeff Judkins, who first stepped on the court for Boston on the same day eight years later in 1978 in a 115-101 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 30th pick of the draft of the same year for the Celtics out of Utah, Judkins went scoreless in 2 minutes of play, missing his sole shot attempt.
It was also the debut of future Hall of Fame big man Dave Cowens, whose storied career began in a 114-107 loss to the New York Knicks on this date in 1970. The Florida State alum had an auspicious debut, putting up 16 points, 17 rebounds, and an assist in 35 minutes of floor time in the loss.
It is the anniversary of John Havlicek's No. 17 jersey's retirement on that same day in 1978, raised to the rafters at the start of the first season he no longer played in the league. At that time, he led the league in games played and was third all-time in total points scored.
Finally, it was also on this date in 2006 that the team traded Dwayne Jones for Cleveland Cavaliers wing Luke Jackson and cash, the team waiving Jackson after the deal. Traded to the Celtics by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jones played in just 14 games for Boston, averaging 1 point and 2.2 boards per game.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Pierce, Rivers, O'Neal born; Havlicek jersey retired
