Brian Shaw was the Boston Celtics‘ first-round pick during the 1988 NBA Draft. The C’s picked him 24th overall out of UC Santa Barbara. As a Big West Conference player of the year, they had high hopes for him and saw him as a building block.
To people’s surprise, Shaw declined to sign the standard four-year deal for rookies and instead settled for a one-year $150,000 deal. More surprising was his decision to leave the NBA after an impressive rookie campaign to play for Il Messaggero Roma in the Italian league.
“The reason I went to Italy in the first place was Boston, at least they say they were at the salary cap, and the minimum for a first round pick was $150,000, so that’s all I got. So I only signed a one-year deal as a first-round pick. I bet on myself,”explained Shaw during his recent appearance on “Byron Scott’s Fast Break” podcast.
Shaw took the bag and left for Italy
Brian played all 82 games for the Celtics during the 1988-89 season and even earned 54 starts after the Celtics traded Danny Ainge, with Dennis Johnson hobbled by injuries.
In 28.1 minutes of playing time per game, Shaw averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, which was not bad considering he played alongside stars like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, DJ, and Ainge.
Because of his performance, Shaw was named to the All-Rookie second team in 1989. Still, at the end of the season, he became a free agent. Instead of re-upping with the Celtics, he signed a two-year $2 million deal with Il Messaggero Roma. The same team lured Danny Ferry to Europe. Shaw’s deal included an option to return to the NBA after one year.
“They gave me a million dollars to go over and play 35 games in Italy, in Rome. S–t, and I grew up on the West Coast anyway. So I was like “S–t, f–k the Celtics, I’m out,” added Shaw.
Although he did not mention it during the interview, a report said Shaw was willing to stay in Boston and accept a salary of $300,000 less than what he was offered in Italy. But the Celtics did not bite, so Shaw went off to Europe.
Shaw starred in Rome
With Shaw and Ferry, Messaggero led the Italian league in gate attendance at over 8,000 per game. Meanwhile, the two Americans thrived playing overseas, with Ferry averaging 22 points and six rebounds in 30 regular-season games and six postseason outings. During that same period, Shaw led the team in scoring and rebounding at 25 points and 9 rebounds per game.
After a contract dispute that reached the courts, Shaw returned to Boston and honored a five-year $6.2 million deal he signed with the Celtics in the fall. He played only two years in Boston and was traded to the Miami Heat for Sherman Douglas in 1992. Brian bounced around the league before landing a spot on the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999. He helped Kobe and Shaq complete a three-peat from 2000 to 2002.
According to basketball reference, Shaw made $28.3 million during his 14-year NBA career. He would’ve made less if he had not left the NBA after his rookie season, as he would have been locked into a paltry four-year deal with Boston. But he bet on himself and won.