On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Boston Celtic forward Don Barksdale was born in Oakland California in 1923. He would play his college ball at UCLA, becoming the first black All-American in NCAA history. Soon after, he would become the first African-American to win a Gold medal in the 1948 Olympic Games before moving on to the NBA.
After some short stints with local clubs, Barksdale would be signed by the Baltimore Bullets (now defunct, and not connected to the later team of the same name that is now the Washington Wizards) before being traded to the Celtics soon after.
The Oakland product would play two season with Boston before ankle injuries ended his playing career, and would average 9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists with the team.
