Today in Boston Celtics history: Pervis Ellison born; Kobe Bryant's last game vs. Celtics
Today in Boston Celtics history, Boston big man Pervis Ellison was born in 1967 in Savannah, Georgia. He played his NCAA basketball at Louisville and was selected as the first overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. After starting his NBA career with an injury-plagued rookie season, he played for the then Washington Bullets (now Wizards) and later signed with the Celtics as a free agent in 1994.
Throughout his career with Boston, injuries continued to restrict his playing time -- including a toe fracture sustained off the court while moving furniture, which sidelined him for most of two seasons with the team. After only two-and-a-half seasons worth of games spread across five seasons with the Celtics, Ellison signed with the Seattle SuperSonics. He averaged 4.
7 points, 5 boards, and a block per game with Boston. Birthdays It is also the birthday of former Boston forward Phil Farbman, who played just one season with the team in its Basketball Association of America (BAA - an NBA precursor league) days. A native of Brooklyn born in 1924, Farbman played just 21 games for the Celtics, the City College of New York graduate averaged 3.
4 points per game in that stint. Thomas Hamilton, who played for Boston in 1996, was born today in 1975 and did not play professionally before being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Celtics. At 7-foot-2, he was a gamble on size for Boston that ultimately didn't work out, with injuries and suspensions derailing his career with the team almost as soon as it started.
The Celtics waived Hamilton after just 11 games, over which he averaged 2. 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 0. 8 blocks per game.