Today in Boston Celtics history, Paul Silas left us. Born in 1943 in Prescott, Arkansas, Silas and his family moved to the state of California as part of what has since become known as the Great Migration, living in the Bay Area in Oakland California with cousins, some of whom would later become the pop group the Pointer Sisters, and another who would play NCAA basketball with him at Creighton.
Drafted by the then-St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks in 1964, Silas would play for them and the Phoenix Suns before he was dealt to the Celtics in 1972. The McClymonds High graduate would win two of his three titles with Boston, and go on to play for the Denver Nuggets and Seattle SuperSonics before starting a three-decade career as an NBA coach.
His son Stephen has since followed him into the profession. Rest in Peace, Mr. Silas.
Birthdays
Today, Boston’s radio play-by-play announcer Sean Grande was born in New York in 1971. He got his start in the industry in the late 1980s calling college basketball, hockey, and football for Boston University. He switched to calling games for Boston College football and hockey in 1996. Soon after, he began calling NCAA tournament games in basketball and became a popular personality on local radio station WEEI before leaving to call NBA games in 1998, starting with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Grande would return to the Boston market to cover the Celtics in 2001. He has stuck with us since, becoming one of the most prolific sportscasters in history across the gamut of available pro sports. Grande has won and been nominated for too many honors to list and remains a fan favorite of Boston fans to this day.
It is also the birthday of Malcolm Brogdon, who came into this world in 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia. An alumnus of Virginia, Brogdon was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, and played for them and the Indiana Pacers before Boston traded for him in 2022. He was dealt to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of the trade that brought Jrue Holiday to the Celtics. In his sole campaign with the Celtics, Brogdon won Sixth Man of the Year, putting up 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
It is also the birthday of Bevo Nordmann, born today in 1939 in Missouri. An alum of his hometown St. Louis University, Nordmann was taken 25th overall by the (then) Cincinnati Royals (now, Sacramento Kings), whom he played for along with the St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks and the New York Knicks before signing with the Celtics for just two games. Nordmann logged an average of 2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and an assist per game over that stretch.
Transactions
It is also the date that former Boston big man Steve Kuberski signed with the Celtics for the second time in his career in 1975. The Bradley alum was actually drafted by Boston with the 52nd pick of the 1969 NBA draft, and played five seasons with the team between 1969 and 1974, winning a title in the last year of his first stint with the Celtics.
After winning his first title, he was drafted by the (then) New Orleans Jazz (later, Utah) in the 1974 NBA expansion draft held to populate that team, only to return in free agency two seasons later to win his second and final title with the team in 1976. Kuberski averaged 5.9 points and 4 rebounds per game over eight seasons with the team.
Debuts
On this day in 2017, Celtics guard Kadeem Allen debuted for the team in a 108-85 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The Arizona alum played just 5 minutes, scoring a single point and 2 boards in his floor time.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Paul Silas passes; Sean Grande born; Kuberski signs
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