Celtics Trivia Game (2024)

[Curmudgeon]

How Many Celtics have worn the #11, even for 1 Game?

One of them became a successful actor.
Another went to Yale
One became a district court judge in Massachusetts
One was an ABA all-star
One was from Mattapan
One was nicknamed "big baby"
One became an assistant coach
One was nicknamed the "flat earth ninja"
One was Ergodan's worst nightmare
One asked to be traded

[Fencer reregistered]

How Many Celtics have worn the #11, even for 1 Game?

One of them became a successful actor.
Another went to Yale
One became a district court judge in Massachusetts
One was an ABA all-star
One was from Mattapan
One was nicknamed "big baby"
One became an assistant coach
One was nicknamed the "flat earth ninja"
One was Ergodan's worst nightmare
One asked to be traded

Does this count?

[Fencer reregistered]

So who actually played their entire NBA career with the Celtics?

I can think of lots of examples from the Russell teams:

Russell
Heinsohn
Jones
Jones
Sanders
Havlicek
Loscutoff
Ramsey
John Thompson (Celtics scrub who became a legendary college coach)

Then there of course were Bird and McHale, and the truncated example of Reggie Lewis, RIP.

Guys who are NOT examples include Cousy, Sharman, Cowens, White.

Guys with short overall NBA careers I checked include:

Rick Carlisle -- no
Luke Harangody -- no
Semih Erden -- no
SexyPants Poirier -- no
Glenn McDonald -- no (Trivia question: Who was Glenn McDonald? )
Sam Vincent -- no; in fact, his career wasn't all that short
Tremont Waters, Carsen Edwards -- no and no
Guerschon Yabusele -- yes (at least so far)

But I did find two other international guys who did have their only NBA stint with the Celtics.
Trivia question: Who?

I presume there were actually a lot of guys who were given a shot by the Celtics, didn't work out, and never played in the NBA again. I'm just forgetting who most of them were.

Trivia question: There were at least 3 different bigs who entered the league with the Celtics, went to the Cavs, and haven't played in the NBA since. A similar 4th was a Celtics draftee who never actually played for the Cs. Who were they?

[Bleedsgreen]

But I did find two other international guys who did have their only NBA stint with the Celtics.
Trivia question: Who?

I presume there were actually a lot of guys who were given a shot by the Celtics, didn't work out, and never played in the NBA again. I'm just forgetting who most of them were.

Well my guess who you thinking of is Dino Radja and a favorite from my youth Stojko Vranković Yea I had to look up the 91 team to get the right spelling for Stojko even with our local poster with that name.

As For other players there is Bird from a few years ago but he got in trouble with the law doubt he caught on with any NBA team since.

[Fencer reregistered]

But I did find two other international guys who did have their only NBA stint with the Celtics.
Trivia question: Who?

I presume there were actually a lot of guys who were given a shot by the Celtics, didn't work out, and never played in the NBA again. I'm just forgetting who most of them were.

Well my guess who you thinking of is Dino Radja and a favorite from my youth Stojko Vranković Yea I had to look up the 91 team to get the right spelling for Stojko even with our local poster with that name.

As For other players there is Bird from a few years ago but he got in trouble with the law doubt he caught on with any NBA team since.

Good ones! As noted, I'm sure there are a lot more I wasn't thinking of.

Actually, I had a much more recent international guy in mind for the other one. Hint: Very sad story.

[shackles10]

But I did find two other international guys who did have their only NBA stint with the Celtics.
Trivia question: Who?

I presume there were actually a lot of guys who were given a shot by the Celtics, didn't work out, and never played in the NBA again. I'm just forgetting who most of them were.

Well my guess who you thinking of is Dino Radja and a favorite from my youth Stojko Vranković Yea I had to look up the 91 team to get the right spelling for Stojko even with our local poster with that name.

As For other players there is Bird from a few years ago but he got in trouble with the law doubt he caught on with any NBA team since.

Good ones! As noted, I'm sure there are a lot more I wasn't thinking of.

Actually, I had a much more recent international guy in mind for the other one. Hint: Very sad story.

It’s gotta be Fab Melo then?

[Fencer reregistered]

Well my guess who you thinking of is Dino Radja and a favorite from my youth Stojko Vranković Yea I had to look up the 91 team to get the right spelling for Stojko even with our local poster with that name.

As For other players there is Bird from a few years ago but he got in trouble with the law doubt he caught on with any NBA team since.

Good ones! As noted, I'm sure there are a lot more I wasn't thinking of.

Actually, I had a much more recent international guy in mind for the other one. Hint: Very sad story.

It’s gotta be Fab Melo then?

That's indeed who I had in mind.

[chakdaddy]

I've asked this before, but it's the time of year for me to remember it again.

Which top basketball executive (GM or Team President or whatever he was) renounced free agency rights to HIMSELF?

Bonus: If I remember correctly, there's a minor Celtics connection in the story. If I'm right about that -- what is it?

I would guess Elton Brand, but where's the Celtics connection?

We know FA rights can hang around for years...what other ex players went into the front office? Danny Ferry? Might be James Jones.

[Fencer reregistered]

I've asked this before, but it's the time of year for me to remember it again.

Which top basketball executive (GM or Team President or whatever he was) renounced free agency rights to HIMSELF?

Bonus: If I remember correctly, there's a minor Celtics connection in the story. If I'm right about that -- what is it?

I would guess Elton Brand, but where's the Celtics connection?

We know FA rights can hang around for years...what other ex players went into the front office? Danny Ferry? Might be James Jones.

Not Brand, to my knowledge.

Actually, I think the transaction that induced him to renounce himself was the FA signing of a former Celtic player (I wouldn't be surprised, however, if people misremember that as an MLE signing).

[Bleedsgreen]

But I did find two other international guys who did have their only NBA stint with the Celtics.
Trivia question: Who?

I presume there were actually a lot of guys who were given a shot by the Celtics, didn't work out, and never played in the NBA again. I'm just forgetting who most of them were.

Well my guess who you thinking of is Dino Radja and a favorite from my youth Stojko Vranković Yea I had to look up the 91 team to get the right spelling for Stojko even with our local poster with that name.

As For other players there is Bird from a few years ago but he got in trouble with the law doubt he caught on with any NBA team since.

Good ones! As noted, I'm sure there are a lot more I wasn't thinking of.

Actually, I had a much more recent international guy in mind for the other one. Hint: Very sad story.

Well I was wrong about Stojko he went back to Europe and then came back for 2 seasons with 2 different teams. Radja was Boston only and pretty much left when "15 seconds" Rick tried to trade him to Philly, he only wanted to play for the Celtics.

[chakdaddy]

I've asked this before, but it's the time of year for me to remember it again.

Which top basketball executive (GM or Team President or whatever he was) renounced free agency rights to HIMSELF?

Bonus: If I remember correctly, there's a minor Celtics connection in the story. If I'm right about that -- what is it?

I would guess Elton Brand, but where's the Celtics connection?

We know FA rights can hang around for years...what other ex players went into the front office? Danny Ferry? Might be James Jones.

Not Brand, to my knowledge.

Actually, I think the transaction that induced him to renounce himself was the FA signing of a former Celtic player (I wouldn't be surprised, however, if people misremember that as an MLE signing).

Jones rings a bell. Maybe to sign Jae Crowder.

[Fencer reregistered]

I would guess Elton Brand, but where's the Celtics connection?

We know FA rights can hang around for years...what other ex players went into the front office? Danny Ferry? Might be James Jones.

Not Brand, to my knowledge.

Actually, I think the transaction that induced him to renounce himself was the FA signing of a former Celtic player (I wouldn't be surprised, however, if people misremember that as an MLE signing).

Jones rings a bell. Maybe to sign Jae Crowder.

Not correct to my knowledge.

[threrf23]

I was thinking MJ, but not sure of a Celtics connection.

I Googled it, and found this which isn't really useful.

https://www.capjournal.com/arena/basketball_network/michael-jordan-renounced-the-best-player-in-the-world-title-in-95-after-loss-vs/article_202763cd-9733-59ff-8665-2c250639b4f5.html

[Fencer reregistered]

I was thinking MJ, but not sure of a Celtics connection.

I Googled it, and found this which isn't really useful.

https://www.capjournal.com/arena/basketball_network/michael-jordan-renounced-the-best-player-in-the-world-title-in-95-after-loss-vs/article_202763cd-9733-59ff-8665-2c250639b4f5.html

MJ never could renounce himself as a FA. He was a Wizards exec only BEFORE he signed with them as a FA player. And of course he never was a player for Charlotte.

I'm thinking of somebody who, as a player, can be said to have been a rival both to the 80s Celtics and the Jordan Bulls.

[chakdaddy]

Must be Joe Dumars. What's he up to now anyway?

[chakdaddy]

But who did he renounce himself to sign? Must be Chauncey Billups.

[Fencer reregistered]

But who did he renounce himself to sign? Must be Chauncey Billups.

That's how I remember it. Billups got an amount of money pretty close to the MLE, but he wasn't actually an MLE signing.

[Fencer reregistered]

Some scrubs who entered the league with the Celtics, didn't last long, and never played for another NBA team:

Bernie Swain
John Richter
Dan Swartz
The aforementioned John Thompson (who lasted 2 seasons, longer than most)
Ron Bonham (who lasted 2 seasons, then also had a year in the ABA)

[Fencer reregistered]

The NBA record for length of career, winning a championship every year, is low. I can't think right now of anybody who beat John Thompson's 2.

But the record for longest career, going to the Finals every season, is much higher. Who holds it?

[shackles10]

The NBA record for length of career, winning a championship every year, is low. I can't think right now of anybody who beat John Thompson's 2.

But the record for longest career, going to the Finals every season, is much higher. Who holds it?

I don't know who it was, but it's about to be Jordan Walsh