On this day in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame Celtics champion small forward Paul Pierce was nearly stabbed to death in a Boston nightclub 22 years ago today.
The University of Kansas standout was taken by the Celtics with the 10th pick of the 1998 NBA draft and was poised to return for his third season in the league when he was stabbed 11 times in the face, neck, and chest at the popular “Buzz Club” in the city of Boston’s Theater District. Teammate Tony Battie saved Pierce’s life, quickly rushing the Los Angeles native to a nearby hospital to treat his wounds.
Buy Celtics TicketsThere, Pierce underwent emergency surgery that likely saved his life.
Despite the near-death experience, Pierce recovered quickly and played all 82 regular-season games in the 2000-01 NBA season. He later pledged $2.5 million to the Tufts-New England Medical Center which helped save his life.
Years later, Pierce revealed he had suffered from depression and paranoia — especially in crowds — due to the incident, hiring round-the-clock police protection and carrying a gun for some time.
He played his college ball with Danny Ainge. He is among a select few who can call both Larry Bird and Magic Johnson teammates. Read Michael D. McClellan's exclusive interview with former 13-year NBA player Fred Roberts!
READ IT: https://t.co/UjnLUhWgoI#Celtics #NBA #BYU pic.twitter.com/MrpPnuVrGA
— The Celtics Insider (@celticsinsider) November 25, 2018
On this date in 1986, the Celtics obtained big man Fred Roberts from the Utah Jazz for a first-round pick.
Roberts played two seasons with Boston, averaging 5.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and an assist per game before being selected by the Miami Heat in the 1988 NBA expansion draft.
A little less than a year later, the Jazz used the pick they’d received for Roberts to select current Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan.
It is the date of Boston’s last win in the Disney bubble, a 121-108 decision against the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the 2020 Eastern Conference finals.
The win was driven by 31 points and 10 rebounds from All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum and 28 points from his partner on the wing, Jaylen Brown.
“It’s not going to be perfect,” Tatum said after the game via the AP. “You just want to give yourself a chance.”
“Boston played great in that second half,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra related. “They deserved and earned what they got.”
Today is the birthday of Celtics short-timer Bob McAdoo, born this day in 1951 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
A graduate of UNC, McAdoo was drafted by the then-Buffalo Braves (now, Celtics — it’s a long story), and played for them and the New York Knicks before being traded to Boston in 1979 on a lark by the Celtics’ team owner in a move that nearly drove away legendary manager Red Auerbach.
The North Carolina native played 20 games for the Celtics before he was again dealt to the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 20.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block per game over that stretch.
McAdoo shares that birthday with former Celtics draft pick Chauncey Billups, who came into the world on this day in 1976 in Denver, Colorado.
Drafted from his hometown University of Colorado, Billups played 51 games of his rookie season with the Celtics. He was traded away by general manager Rick Pitino, along with Dee Brown, Roy Rogers, and John Thomas, to the Toronto Raptors for Kenny Anderson, Popeye Jones, and Zan Tabak.
Billups logged 11.1 points, 4.3 boards, and 1.1 assists per contest in that period.
Finally, the two also share their birthday with Carl Braun, a native of Brooklyn, New York, who was born in 1927.
The one-time Colgate player played the last season of a 13-year career with the Celtics after spending the previous 12 with the Knicks. Braun appeared in just 48 games for Boston.
He averaged 3.7 points, 1 rebound, and 1.5 assists as a Celtic.
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