Today's a dive into the archives, remembering some names from Boston Celtics history who share a birthday. Leading that charge is Tony Lavelli, born way back in 1926, who got picked fourth overall by the Celtics in the 1949 Basketball Association of America draft. Think about that: fourth overall! This was right before the BAA merged to become the NBA as we know it, making it one of the last drafts of its kind.
High Hopes, Short Stays: Lavelli and Sadowski's Early NBA Runs
Lavelli came out of Yale with serious buzz, but his time with the Celtics was incredibly brief. He played a mere 56 games, just one season, before bouncing in free agency to the New York Knicks at the end of the 1949-50 season. Talk about a quick exit for a high draft pick! He still averaged 8.8 points per game, which is respectable, especially considering they didn't even record rebounds back then. Can you imagine playing hoops and not tracking boards? Wild times. Then there's Ed Sadowski, another ex-Celtics center born on this day in 1917. Sadowski's path to Boston was a whole journey through the early league landscape. He started with the defunct Toronto Huskies in the BAA's first season, 1946-47, then got traded to the equally defunct Cleveland Rebels. The Celtics picked him up in the dispersal draft after Cleveland's team folded. Like Lavelli, Sadowski was a short-timer, playing only 47 games in one season for Boston. He put up some solid numbers though, dropping 19.4 points and dishing out 1.6 assists, again, before anyone cared about rebounds. It really shows how fluid and wild those early basketball days truly were.A Title Ring After Retirement: Woodrow Sauldsberry's Wild Ride
Finally, we've got Woodrow Sauldsberry, a big man born in 1934. His career took an even crazier turn. Drafted 60th overall in 1957 by the Philadelphia Warriors, he bounced around, playing for that franchise, the St. Louis Hawks, and the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs, who even changed their name while he was on the team! But here's the kicker: Sauldsberry actually joined Boston *after* he'd been retired for two seasons. He came back to play, won a title in a reserve role with the team in 1966, backing up none other than Bill Russell himself. Averaging 4.4 points and 3.6 blocks per game in that championship year? That's a comeback story right there, making a real impact on a title-winning squad after two years away from the game. It's pretty cool to look back and see how these guys, with their incredibly varied paths and sometimes short stints, still played a part in the league's history. Remembering these birthdays today reminds you how much the game has evolved.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.