Welcome back to the Celtics season tipoff countdown!
Each day, we’ll give a review of news surrounding the Celtics. We’ll also look back in history to see what happened on today’s date in team history (August 18th). To round out the day’s post, we’ll give you stats and fun facts related to the number of days remaining before the first game (59 today). Let’s get to it!
Recent Team News
On Friday, Jayson Tatum had his number retired by his high school. He attended the ceremony in which Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis retired his number 22. Tatum, who was a member of the graduating class of 2016, brought his son with him to the event. Tatum leads the school in all-time points and rebounds.
Kyrie Irving will be honored by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota next Thursday. Kyrie has family who was part of the same tribe. He has been open and proud of his heritage in the past. He has a tattoo of a tribe symbol on the back of his neck and incorporated it into one of his sneakers.
On This Date
August 18, 1992: Celtics legend Larry Bird announces his retirement from the NBA. Immediately following his appearance on the 1992 Olympics Dream Team, Bird decided to hang it up after 13 seasons with the Celtics. He finished his career prematurely after back problems plagued him towards the end of his career. He took on a role in the Celtics front office after his retirement. The team promptly retired his number 33.
Via NBA
Stats (2017-18)
- Al Horford averaged 5.9 defensive rebounds per game. He averaged a total of 7.4 rebounds per game.
- Abdel Nader shot 59% from the free throw line.
Fun Facts
- The 1959 Celtics won the franchise’s second ever championship title. The team went 52-20 that season.
That concludes today’s Countdown to Celtics Tipoff. Make sure to check back here tomorrow as the clock continues to tick towards the 2018-19 season!