On this day, former Boston Celtics small forward Reggie Lewis died unexpectedly after collapsing on a basketball court at Brandeis University while working out in 1993.
Lewis, who had previously had been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat after another on-court collapse, passed away after attempts by police to resuscitate the Northeastern product failed.
The 22nd overall pick of the 1987 NBA Draft for the Celtics, Lewis was a critical part of Boston’s future. Added to the loss of forward Len Bias in 1986, this was a major cause of the team’s ‘wilderness era’ of mediocrity lasting more than a decade.
The Baltimore native played six seasons for the Celtics before his passing, owning a career average of 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game and an All-Star nod in 1993.
His No. 35 jersey was retired by the team in 1995.
On this day in 2016, current Celtic Jaylen Brown signed a four-year, $21,404,269 rookie contract, which he is still playing on ahead of the start of a new, four-year, $107 million extension.
The Georgia native had been drafted third overall in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Cal-Berkeley, and has averaged 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game with Boston over four seasons to date.
Ex-Celtic wing Gerald Green signed a one-year deal for $1,410,598 on the same day. It marked the start of his second stint with the team, the first being when he’d been drafted by the team directly out of high school in the 2005 NBA Draft with the 18th overall pick.
Green put up 8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game over three seasons with the team, and would leave the franchise in free agency the second time around.
Former Celtics center Tyler Zeller signed a deal on the same day after having been traded to the team from the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a salary dump to make space for the contract of LeBron James in 2014.
Zeller recorded a career average of 7.1 points, 4 boards and an assist per game with Boston.
Providence College product Ben Bentil signed a deal with the team that day as well, but never suited up for the Celtics.
Instead, he would be waived by the team, and would fail to latch on elsewhere; he is now playing overseas with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague.
Onetime Celtic forward Jae Crowder signed a deal today too, but his was inked a year earlier in 2015, a five-year deal for $35 million.
The Marquette product would play three seasons with Boston, averaging 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game while with the team.
It was the same day ex-Celtic guard Terry Rozier inked a four-season, $8,769,710 rookie contract, drafted out of Louisville earlier that summer with the 16th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft.
The Ohio native would put up 7.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists while with Boston.
Celtic draftee R. J. Hunter signed his rookie deal that day too — a two-year, $2,348,880 deal.
Hunter, drafted 28th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Georgia State, played 37 games with the Celtics over two stints. He averaged 3.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per game over that stretch.
It is also the date of guard Zoran Dragic being traded from the Miami Heat to Boston for a heavily-protected draft asset.
The brother of Miami guard Goran Dragic, Zoran never suited up for the Celtics, waived by the team instead.
Former Celtics shooting guard Allan Ray was waived on this date in 2007 after playing one season with the team.
Ray recorded 6.2 points and 1.5 boards per game with the team that season, his sole in the NBA.
Finally, ex-Celtic forward Marvin Barnes was born this day in 1952 in Providence, Rhode Island.
Traded to the team from the Buffalo Braves as part of the exchange of players occuring after the team’s owners also exchanged franchises in 1978, he would play just 38 games for Boston before being waived the following February.
He averaged 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game as a Celtic.
