Today in Boston Celtics history, Sihugo “Si” Green died after a protracted fight with cancer in 1980 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born in New York City, New York in 1933, Green played his NCAA basketball for the Duquesne Dukes from 1953 to 1956, with the New Yorker getting picked up with the first overall selection of the 1956 NBA Draft by the (then) Rochester Royals (now, Sacramento Kings).
Green played for the then-Royals, the (then) St. Louis (now, Atlanta) Hawks, and a duo of defunct ball clubs (the Chicago Packers and Zephyrs) as well as the (then) Baltimore Bullets (now, Washington Wizards) before joining the Celtics in a trade.
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Famous for being the top overall pick in the draft that the Celtics landed iconic center Bill Russell second overall in the 1956 NBA draft, Green averaged 3.2 points and 1.1 rebounds per game with Boston.
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CHICAGO, UNITED STATES: Michael Jordan (23), guard for the Chicago Bulls, glides under Boston Celtics forward Doug Smith (R) to make a basket in the first half of their NBA game at the United Center in Chicago. The Bulls started the game with a 51-6 record fo the season. AFP PHOTO Vincent Laforet (Photo credit should read VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images)
It is also the date that former Celtics forward Doug Smith would sign with the team in 1995 as an unrestricted free agent. The Detroit, Michigan native played at the NCAA level for the University of Missouri and was selected with the sixth overall pick of the 1991 Dallas Mavericks.
Smith would play four seasons with the Mavs before inking a one-season deal with Boston, his last in the NBA. He would log just 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds per game while with the Celtics, career lows both.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Si Green passes; Doug Smith signs