Who were the greatest players in Boston Celtics history to wear each jersey throughout the team’s rich, seven-decade history?
With so much history to work with, more than a few jersey numbers have been worn by multiple players of note, many even headed to or already ensconced in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Others aren’t so clear, but the Celtics Wire will make a case for all the jerseys with at least three former or current players wearing them, and we’ll start from the top in our first article assessing the impact of each Celtic by the number they wore.
Working in reverse order, we begin with No. 99.
Darko Miličić – 2012-13
Once a heralded prospect, by the time Miličić got to Boston, his career was essentially over.
There was hope the recently-amnestied Serbian center would be able to help absorb regular-season minutes for an aging Kevin Garnett, who was himself lurchingslowly towards retirement.
But after just five minutes of play for the Celtics in a single game, Miličić was released by the team to attend to an undisclosed personal matter. He “averaged” a single rebound in his sole appearance for the franchise, and would later go on to have a career as a mixed martial artist.
Through no fault of his own, Miličić is the worst to wear No. 99.
Roy Rogers – 1997-98
Rogers played for Boston for just one season, traded to the team from the then-Vancouver Grizzlies for Tony Massenburg and a second-round pick.
The power forward sharing a name with the popular cowboy celebrity would average just 0.6 rebounds and 0.8 points per game during his brief nine-game tenure, and would be traded just months after arriving.
He was shipped out with Chauncey Billups, Dee Brown and John Thomas to the Toronto Raptors for Kenny Anderson, Popeye Jones and Žan Tabak in 1998, playing short stints for that club and the Denver Nuggets after.
Interestingly, he would rejoin the franchise as an assistant coach in 2010.
With so few games to make a case, Rogers, is the third-best player to wear No. 99.
Tacko Fall – 2019-?
While the Senegalese center’s story is still being written, he’s behind one other player to wear his current jersey number.
Undrafted out of UCF in 2019, he was signed by the Celtics as a two way player, and Tacko Mania was born in Boston almost overnight.
While he hasn’t gotten much run with the parent club, he’s been dominant in the G League with the Maine Red Claws, and has put up some fairly solid outings with the Celtics when he’s been given the chance.
In his sole season in the Association so far, the former Knight has logged 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.3 blocks per contest, good enough for second-best to don the No. 99.
Jae Crowder – 2015-17
The 6-foot-6 forward out of Marquette came to Boston in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks that saw Crowder and point guard Jameer Nelson and big man Brandan Wright plus picks in exchange for beloved Celtics floor general Rajon Rondo and center Dwight Powell.
The Georgia native’s high-energy play would soon win him fans in Boston, where he averaged 12.8 points, 5.2 boards and 1.8 assists over three seasons.
Crowder would leave the team — and the jersey number — behind in another deal that would bring controversial point guard Kyrie Irving to the Celtics, sending out an injured Isaiah Thomas and center Ante Žižić plus draft assets in return.
To date, the former Golden Eagle is easily the greatest player to wear No. 99 for Boston.
