Today in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame Celtics center Bill Russell played in the first game of his iconic career with the team, which was a 95-93 win over the (then) St. Louis Hawks at the team’s home arena of the original Boston Garden. It was the start to a career that saw the Celtics win 11 titles under Russell, along with five Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, 12 All-Star bids, and as many All-League honors among countless other accolades, including induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
But before all of that happened, Russell played 21 minutes in this contest against the Hawks, scoring 6 points and pulling down 16 rebounds, and logging a single assist. Russell shot 3-of-11 overall and 0-of-4 from the line, but his team was luckily able to eke out the win despite his poor shooting — perhaps a case of the nerves considering it was his pro debut.
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Russell would end his career with an average of 44% accuracy from the field, and 56.1% from the line.
Close, But No Cigar. Professional basketball made its seasonal debut at the Garden last night and in the opener Boston’s Big Bill Russell was his usual grabbing self when it came to rebounds. Here, Al Attles of the Philadelphia Warriors tries hard to challenge Bill in the first quarter and comes within a few inches of succeeding. Despite Russell’s prowess, the Warriors beat the Celtics, 97-88, in an NBA exhibition. (Photo by Charles Hoff/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Other debuts
It is also the date former Celtics guard Jack “Dutch” Garfinkel debuted for the team as well, exactly ten years earlier in the team’s inaugural season in the Basketball Association of America (BAA — a precursor league to the NBA). An alum of St. John’s University, Garfinkel served in the United States Army during World War II.
He then played stints with the Philadelphia Sphas of the American Basketball League (ABL — another competing league) and the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League (NBL — yet another competing league that would also merge with the NBA) before joining Boston in 1946. The New Yorker scored just 2 points in his debut tilt, a 65-53 loss to the (now defunct) St. Louis Bombers, going just 1-of-11 from the floor and 0-of-1 from the stripe.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Bill Russell, Jack Garfinkel debut