On this day in 1958, former Boston Celtics big man Alton Lavelle Lister was born in Dallas, Texas.
A product of San Jacinto Junior College and Arizona State, Lister would be selected to take part in the 1980 U.S. Olympic team that ultimately wouldn’t take the field with the United States boycotting the Moscow-hosted Olympics.
After his Arizona State career ended, he was drafted 21st overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1981 NBA Draft.
He played stints with that team, the Seattle Supersonics, the Golden State Warriors, and a second stint with the Bucks before they dealt him to the Celtics in 1995 with shooting guard Todd Day for point guard Sherman Douglas.
Happy birthday Alton Lister! #Celtics pic.twitter.com/erpgOTRNTr
— HonestLarry (@HonestLarry1) October 1, 2020
The Dallas native averaged 2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game while with the franchise in a stretch spanning two seasons between 1995 and 1997.
The Celtics would end up being the penultimate stop of a 17-year career in the NBA, with Lister joining the Portland Trail Blazers to finish out his career.
