Today in Boston Celtics history, team owner Walter Brown selected future Hall of Fame floor general Bob Cousy in a dispersal draft in 1950. An alumnus of Holy Cross — where he won an NCAA championship in 1947 — Cousy was passed on by Celtics coach and GM Red Auerbach in the 1950 NBA Draft, only to find himself up stuck with the player he eschewed in the dispersal draft for the defunct Chicago Stags, with whom Cousy had since signed a contract with.
The future Hall of Fame point guard made his first of a total of 13 All-Star Games in 1951, six NBA titles between 1957 and 1963, a league Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, two All-Star MVPs, a dozen All-NBA nods, and many other honors before his retirement in 1963.
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It would turn out to be one of the most fortunate breaks in franchise history. Widely regarded as among the greatest to ever play the game, the New Yorker would coach after his initial retirement.
Feb 22, 1961; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Boston Celtics guard Bob Cousy (14) defends Los Angeles Lakers guard Rod Hundley (33) at the Forum. Mandatory Credit: Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports
He briefly unretired to become player-coach of the (then) Cincinnati Royals and Kansas City (now Sacramento) Kings in 1970 and coached Boston College as well.
He was elected to the Hall of Fame as a player in 1971, having transformed the sport on the court, but also behind the scenes as a major supporter of the Players’ Union. Cousy remains active in the wider Celtics community even to this day.
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It was also on this date that the Celtics traded a pair of second-round draft picks to the (then) New Jersey Nets (now, Brooklyn) for point guard John Bagley.
Nov 26, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Boston Celtics logo is seen before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The Connecticut native played three seasons over four years (a knee injury kept him out of his second season with Boston) before leaving the team to join the Atlanta Hawks in free agency. Bagley averaged 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game with the Celtics.
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Rest in Peace
Finally, it was also on this day that former Celtics guard and fellow Holy Cross product Dermie O’Connell passed away in 1988.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 20: A view of the Boston Celtics Championship Banners at TD Garden on April 20, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The New Yorker played in parts of two seasons for Boston between 1948 and 1950, traded to the (now defunct) St. Louis Bombers in February in that latter year. He recorded 6.6 points and 2.2 assists per game with Boston.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Cousy taken in dispersal draft; Bagley trade; O’Connell dies