The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA — the league that would become today’s NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history.
To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
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With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.
Uknown date; Atlanta, GA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Boston Celtics forward Paul Silas (35) in action against the Atlanta Hawks at The Omni. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
And for today’s article, we will continue with the first of six people to wear the No. 35, Boston forward alum Paul Silas. After ending his college career at Creighton, Silas was picked up with the 12th overall selection of the 1964 NBA Draft by the (then) St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks.
The Prescott, Arkansas native would play the first five seasons of his pro career with the Hawks. He also played for the Phoenix Suns before he was dealt to Boston in 1972. His stay with the team would span four seasons, coming to an end when he was dealt to the Denver Nuggets in 1976.
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During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Silas wore only jersey No. 35 and put up 11.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics jersey history No. 35 – Paul Silas (1972-76)