On this day, The Boston Celtics waived center Tyler Zeller after three seasons of play with the team.
Zeller — a 7-foot, 253-lb.big man out of North Carolina taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 17th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft — came to the Celtics in a trade via the Cavs, dealt to the franchise in a three-team trade that saw Marcus Thornton join Boston from the Brooklyn Nets as the Celtics absorbed Zeller into the team’s cap space.
The Indiana native proved a lot more than a castoff player for Boston though, recording 7.1 points and 4 rebounds per game while with the team.
Former Boston power forward Curtis Rowe was also born on this date in Bessemer, Alabama in 1949.
Rowe played his college ball with UCLA under John Wooden, and was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 11th overall pick of the 1971 NBA Draft.
He would come to Boston in a trade that sent Paul Silas to the Denver Nuggets, and play three seasons for the Celtics between 1976 and 1979. He averaged 8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game over that stretch.
It is also the birthday of former Celtic center Rich Niemann, who played just six games for the team in the 1969-70 season, claimed off waivers by the team.
He would record 1 point and as many boards per game over that short run, moving on to several stints in the American Basketball Association (ABA) afterward.
