Today in Boston Celtics history, Robert Williams III was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1997. He grew up in the area and attended North Caddo High School in nearby Vivian, Louisiana.
As a consensus four-star prospect emerging from high school, Williams, often called Timelord for a nickname, played his college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies. During his two seasons with the team, he earned the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year award twice. The Celtics picked him up him with the 27th overall selection of the 2018 NBA Draft, a slip to Boston's range that reflected concerns regarding his long-term health.
An issue that has indeed bothered him since, though less each season he has been in the league.
Birthdays
It is also the birthday
of Vincent Poirier, born this day in 1993 in Clamart, France. A relative latecomer, he worked his way up the ladder of French basketball until he earned a Summer League invite with the Orlando Magic in 2016. Poirier signed with EuroLeague's Baskonia in 2017, and led that league in rebounding in 2018-19, enough to get him a deal with the Celtics in 2019. He never found his NBA legs and was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2020. He averaged 1.9 points and 2 rebounds per game with the team.
Poirier shares his birthday with Art Spector, who came into this world in 1918 in Camden, New Jersey. A foundational member of the Celtics who played in Boston's inaugural campaign in the Basketball Association of America (a precursor league of the NBA) until he left the team (and the NBA) in the 1949-50 season. He averaged 5.0 points per game over that stretch.
Transactions
Today is the anniversary of the first time Jabari Parker was cut by Boston in 2021.
If that sounds confusing, it was because Parker was re-signed by the team a few days later to a regular contract for the rest of the season he would later be cut once again from the following January.
Historic milestones
John Richter debuted on this date in 1959 in what was a 129-125 win over the (then) Cincinnati Royals (now, Sacramento Kings). The NC State alum logged 1 point and 4 rebounds in 9 minutes of floor time in a respectable first game.
Hall of Fame coach and onetime Boston big man John Thompson debuted in 1964 in a 112-81 blowout of the Detroit Pistons. Thompson had a solid first outing with the Celtics, logging 8 points and 4 rebounds in the win. That same contest was also the first NBA game for Ron Bonham, who did not fare quite so well with a single board to his name in 20 minutes of playing time.
Willie Williams shares that debut date with the rest of these players, his first game in the NBA a 126-114 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics. The Miami, Florida native did not have the most auspicious first outing, logging a single rebound in 3 minutes of floor time.
It is also the date that both Semi Ojeleye and Jayson Tatum made their NBA debuts in 2017 in a 102-99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It just so happened to be the contest in which teammate Gordon Hayward devastated his ankle in a freak accident. Tatum put up 14 points and 10 rebounds in Hayward's absence for an impressive debut. Ojeleye had a less auspicious start to his career, going scoreless in nearly 9 minutes of floor time, with 2 field-goal attempts.
Today is also the anniversary that the Celtics honored original team owner Walter Brown with a jersey retirement ceremony, sending No. 1 into the rafters in his honor. Brown was well-loved by his players and front office and was so honored after passing away unexpectedly earlier in 1964.
Gone too soon
Today is also the date of Frank Scolari passing in 2002. Born in San Francisco in 1922, Scolari played collegiately with his hometown USF before joining the (now defunct) Washington Capitals. Scolari would play stints with that team, the (then) Syracuse Nationals (now, Philadelphia 76ers), the (now defunct) Baltimore Bullets, and the (then) Fort Wayne (now, Detroit) Pistons before coming to Boston via trade in 1954.
The Californian played 59 games with the team before retiring as a player, averaging 3.2 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Tatum, Ojeleye debut; Poirier, Timelord born; Scolari passes; Brown honored
