Today in Boston Celtics history, The Boston Celtics selected Hall of Fame point guard Jo Jo White with the ninth overall pick of the 1969 NBA Draft, who had been playing for the University of Kansas. White played a total of ten seasons with the Celtics, during which he won two NBA championships in 1974 and 1976, and was named Finals MVP in 1976.
The former Jayhawk was elected to seven All-Star games and named to two All-NBA teams, among other accolades. A native of St. Louis, he set a franchise record by playing in 488 consecutive games, a streak that was ultimately ended by injury during the 1977-78 season.
Advertisement
Following this setback, he was unable to return to his previous level of performance and was later traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for a first-round pick in 1979.
Historic milestones
It is the anniversary of Celtics legend Bob Cousy doling out 19 assists in a 123-110 win over the (then) Minneapolis (now, Los Angeles) Lakers in 1959, who Boston would defeat in a four-game sweep to win the 1959 NBA Championship.
The picture (undated) shows American basketball player Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics during a basketball session. (Photo by – / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
The feat was an NBA record at the time and a career-high for the Holy Cross alum.
Birthdays
Finally, it is also the birthday of big man Zaid Abdul-Aziz (born Donald A. Smith until he converted to Islam in 1976), who came into this world in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York.
May 15, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen at center court before game seven of the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Drafted out of Iowa State in 1968 by the (then) Cincinnati Royals (now, Sacramento Kings), Abdul-Aziz played for the Milwaukee Bucks, (then) Seattle SuperSonics, (now, Oklahoma City Thunder), Houston Rockets, and (then) Buffalo Braves (now, Celtics — it’s a long story) before joining Boston after the owners of each club swapped teams.
Advertisement
In his sole season with the team, Abdul-Aziz logged 4.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: White draft Cousy NBA-record 19 assists; Abdul-Aziz born