Aug. 15, 2026, 6:00 a.m. ET
Today in Boston Celtics history, Fab Melo (rest in peace), was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013 in exchange for Donte Green. His full name, Fabricio Paulino de Melo, reflects his Brazilian heritage, as he hailed from Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. Melo played collegiate basketball at Syracuse University before the Boston Celtics selected him 22nd overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Melo struggled to find his footing at the NBA level, spending much of his time with the team’s developmental franchise in the G League, (then) the Maine Red Claws (now, Celtics). He also spent too much time in the press for his clumsiness, overshadowing his basketball abilities at times. A gregarious soul, the Syracuse alum eventually returned to Brazil to play professionally in his home country.
Tragically, he died mysteriously of natural causes in his sleep at just 26 years old in 2017 — taken much too soon.
It is also the birthday of Ed Stanczak. Born today in 1921 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Stanczak joined the NBA after high school, joining the (defunct) Anderson Packers in the 1946-47 season while they were a part of the National Basketball League (NBL – a precursor to the NBA). The Indiana native was drafted by Boston in the dispersal draft after the Packers folded, and Stanczak played just 19 games for the Celtics the next season. He averaged 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in his brief time with Boston.
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It is also the birthday of Bruno Fernando. Born in Luanda, Angola in 1998, Fernando played college ball with Maryland before being picked up 34th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, who dealt him to the Atlanta Hawks. The Angola native played parts of three seasons with the Hawks before he was dealt to the Celtics in 2021. Fernando only played 20 games for Boston before he was dealt to the Houston Rockets in 2022, averaging 1 point and 0.8 rebounds per game with the team.