Eleven players have worn No. 55 in the seven-decade history of the Boston Celtics, and in our series documenting the best to wear each jersey, it’s the next on the Celtics Wire’s list to analyze.
Working our way from 99 on down to 00, we’re starting with the most popular unretired jerseys, those worn by at least three players over the history of the franchise to date.
Spanning the years between 1994 and 2019, the history of No. 55 is a relatively recent one given the depths of time one can go back with Boston, but there’s still a few noteworthy players who have worn it for the Celtics.
But before we get to them, let’s give a quick look at two tiers of honorable mentions.
Honorable mention, part I
Dwayne Schintzius – 1999
Schintzius was with Boston for just one season at the end of the last millennium, perhaps better known for his haircut — a mullet — than his game.
Mostly, this was due to injury, and he would be done with the NBA after his 16-game stint with the Celtics, with whom he averaged 0.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists.
Jordan Mickey – 2016-2017
A popular draft pick taken 33rd overall by Boston in the 2015 NBA Draft, Mickey never put it together while with the Celtics, averaging 1.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.2 assists in his two seasons with the team.
He now plays in Europe with Real Madrid after stints with the Miami Heat and Khimki, a Russian team based in Moscow.
Luke Harangody – 2011
Harongody wasn’t exactly a Celtics lifer either. But he was a solid rotation big for a hot second with Boston, logging 2.3 points, 2 rebounds and 0.4 assists over 23 games in the 2010-11 NBA season after having been taken 52nd overall in the preceding draft.
He would be traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers that same season along with Semih Erden for a second-round pick.
Honorable mention, part II
E’Twaun Moore – 2012
Moore is the first of former wearers of No. 55 to have some staying power in the NBA — in fact, he’s still a valuable player now, eight years after being drafted No. 55 overall by the Celtics in 2011 (thus the jersey number).
While with Boston in the 2011-12 NBA season, he put up 2.9 points, 0.9 boards and as many assists. While his stat line didn’t flash, his skill level as a rookie did, and made him a key part of the deal that would bring Courtney Lee to the Celtics in the summer of 2012.
John Thomas – 1998
Another Celtics short-termer, Thomas came to Boston as part of a deal sending Scott Brooks (now the coach of the Washington Wizards), Dontae’ Jones and Walter McCarty to Boston for Chris Mills and draft considerations.
Thomas would play just 33 games for the Celtics, averaging 3.3 points, 2.1 boards and 0.4 assist over that stretch. He would be dealt with Chauncey Billups, Dee Brown and Roy Rogers to the Toronto Raptors for Kenny Anderson, Popeye Jones and Žan Tabak.
Žan Tabak – 1998
Speaking of Tabak, the Croatian center played even fewer games for Boston. But he was an alright deep rotation option in the frontcourt nonetheless.
Tabak logged 3.3 points, 3.2 boards and 0.7 assists in his only (partial) season as a Celtic, as he wasn’t picked up for future seasons by the club over the summer.
No. 5 to wear No. 55: Terrence Williams – 2013
The player to don No. 55 in 2013, Williams, wasn’t using it for very long. The Louisville product joined Boston for a pair of 10-day contracts he parlayed into an end-of-season deal.
Williams was brought on to help fill out the depth on the wing as the Celtics tried to put together a playoff run towards the end of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce’s tenure with the team.
Williams scored 4.6 points, 1.8 boards and 1.6 assists in 24 games with Boston, waived by the team over the summer.
No. 4 to wear No. 55: Acie Earl – 1994-95
The first of the 11 to wear No. 55 with some staying power, Earl was drafted 19th overall by the Celtics in the 1993 NBA Draft. The Iowa product played for Boston for two seasons before being stolen away by the Toronto Raptors in the 1995 expansion draft.
An offensive-minded deep rotation big, Earl logged 4-6 points and 2.8 boards while with Boston.
No. 3 to wear No. 55: Greg Monroe – 2018-19
Moose had two stints with the Celtics, and you’d think he was a disaster by the way some speak of those seasons. But the truth is the Georgetown product was a competent and at times excellent late-season addition for Boston.
While he never lived up to the outsized expectations of some of the Celtics fanbase, he did average 9.7 points, 2.1 assists and 6 rebounds per game over 28 games split between two seasons with the club.
No. 2 to wear No. 55: Eric Williams – 1996-2004
While younger fans may not recall Williams time with Boston, he was one of only a few bright spots in the wilderness era between banners 16 and 17.
A solid wing player drafted by the Celtics 14th overall in the 1995 NBA Draft, the Providence product had an all-around solid game if no especially strong talents.
He played for Boston in two stints, traded away by the Celtics to the Denver Nuggets for a pair of second-rounders, only to come back to the team two seasons later. He averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 boards and 1.5 assists over seven seasons with Boston.
No. 1 to wear No. 55: Wally Szczerbiak – 2006-07
Szczerbiak isn’t a player one thinks of when they think of Celtic greats, and that’s understandable. But there would quite possibly be no Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen without him, as he would be dealt away at the end of his Boston tenure for the latter.
His averages of 16.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on the wing were one of the primary sweeteners to convince the Seattle Supersonics to part ways with the UConn product and make the first shoe drop in the formation of the Banner 17 crew.
And Wally World was a good player in his own right, one of the brighter spots at the end of one of the darker epochs in Celtics history — for all the above combined, he wins the honor of the best (yet) to wear No. 55 for Boston.
