On this day in Boston Celtics history, the team selected future Hall of Fame point guard Bob Cousy in 1950. An alum of Holy Cross — where he won an NCAA title in 1947 — Cousy would be passed over by Celtics coach and general manager Red Auerbach in the 1950 NBA draft, only to end up stuck with the player in the 1950 NBA dispersal draft for the defunct Chicago Stags, with whom Cousy had since signed.
The future Hall of Fame floor general would make his first of 13 All-Star Games in 1951, six NBA titles between 1957 and 1963, a league Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, two All-Star MVPs, a dozen All-NBA nods, and many other honors before his retirement in 1963.
Buy Celtics TicketsIt would turn out to be one of the most fortunate breaks in franchise history.
Widely regarded as among the greatest to ever play the game, the New Yorker would coach after his initial retirement.
He would briefly unretire to become player-coach of the (then) Cincinnati Royals and Kansas City (now Sacramento) Kings in 1970 and coached Boston College as well.
He would be elected to the Hall of Fame as a player in 1971, having transformed the sport on the court, but also behind the scenes as a major supporter of the Players’ Union.
Cousy remains active in the wider Celtics community even to this day.
It was also on this date that the Celtics traded a pair of second-round draft picks to the (then) New Jersey Nets (now, Brooklyn) for point guard John Bagley.
The Connecticut native would play three seasons over four years (a knee injury kept him out of his second season with Boston) before leaving the team to join the Atlanta Hawks in free agency.
Bagley averaged 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game with the Celtics.
Happy birthday in heaven to the pride of the Holy Cross Crusaders and the Boston Celtics, Dermie O'Connell. pic.twitter.com/ZcVJLbF64Q
— Honest☘️Larry (@HonestLarry1) April 13, 2022
Finally, it was also on this day that former Celtics guard and fellow Holy Cross product Dermie O’Connell passed away in 1988.
The New Yorker played in parts of two seasons for Boston between 1948 and 1950, traded to the (now defunct) St. Louis Bombers in February in that latter year.
He recorded 6.6 points and 2.2 assists per game with Boston.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
