On this day in Boston Celtics history, Joseph “Joe” Alexander Mullaney was born in the city of Flushing, Long Island, New York in 1924. An alumnus of the College of the Holy Cross of Worcester, Massachusetts, he was a member of the 1947 NCAA title team that also featured Bob Cousy.
Mullaney was selected 23rd in the 1949 Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league to the NBA, which formed in 1950) draft. The New Yorker played just 37 games for Boston in the 1949-50 season, averaging 0.8 points and 1.4 assists per game.
Mullaney moved on to a career in the FBI before returning to the sport later in life as a coach.
#CelticsNation: who remembers former #Celtics forward Michael Smith @clippstvsmith? http://t.co/aMBV0CFEkP #Clippers pic.twitter.com/bXTiLLx6xK
— CLNS Media (@CLNSMedia) July 21, 2015
It is also the date former Boston power forward Michael Smith made his debut for the team.
A Brigham Young University alum, Smith was taken 13th in the 1989 NBA draft and played his first game for Boston, a 116-99 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Rochester native put up 4 points, a rebound, and an assist in 13 minutes of floor time.
Finally, it is also the day ex-Celtic shooting guard Allan Ray debuted for Boston in 2006. Ray played collegiately for Villanova University and signed with the Celtics as an undrafted free agent in that same year.
He played his inaugural game with Boston, a 118-90 blowout of the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring 1 point in 5:36 of game time.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
