On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston big man Alton Lister was born in Dallas, Texas in 1958. A true 7-footer, Lister played his college ball first at the sub-NCAA level with San Jacinto Junior College where he would be teammates with fellow future NBAer shooting guard Oliver Mack.
After his time with San Jacinto Junior College, Lister moved on via transfer to play for the Arizona State Sun Devils, joining another future NBA player and head coach Byron Scott, who also played as a shooting guard. By his senior season, the Texan was averaging 15.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
This would earn Lister honorable mentions with All-America honors by the Associated Press and Street & Smith’s, All-Pac-10 honors, and the Sun Devil’s Most Improved Player award.
