Today in Boston Celtics history: 3 players lost to 1967 expansion draft; Amir Johnson born

Today in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise lost several players in the 1963 NBA expansion draft which was held by the league to populate the rosters of two new teams being added to the league. Expansion drafts typically operate in a manner similar to regular NBA drafts; however, the incoming team or teams have the opportunity to select players from the rosters of existing ball clubs. Each team is allowed to designate a certain number of "protected" players, ensuring that these individuals are safeguarded from being drafted by the expansion team or teams.

The new teams in question were the San Diego Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics. The former is now located in Houston, Texas as the Houston Rockets since relocating to Texas in 1971, and the latter now the Oklahoma City Thunder since moving to that state in 2008. Boston would lose three players in total to the two expansion teams.

Transactions The first Boston player taken was UConn alum Toby Kimball, a forward who played just one season with the Celtics. He averaged 2. 6 points, 3.

8 rebounds and 0. 3 assists per game across 38 contests. The second Boston player drafted was Ron Watts, a 6-foot-6 forward out of Wake Forest, taken with the 17th overall pick of the 1966 draft.