Today in Celtics history: Payton born, Roberts traded

Today, July 23rd is the 49th birthday of former Boston Celtic guard Gary Payton.

Payton, who joined the team in the twilight of his career after being traded along with Rick Fox to the Celtics for Chris Mihm, Jumaine Jones and Chucky Atkins from the Los Angeles Lakers, was not at first happy about having been traded to Boston. He would report to camp eventually, however, and played well for the team before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks by the Celtics with with Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart and a 2006 first-round pick (used to draft Rajon Rondo) in exchange for Antoine Walker's return to the team.


The Glove (as Payton was known) never suited up for the Hawks, however, reaching an agreement to be waived by the team so he could return to a playoff-bound team, and in an ironic twist, chose the Celts. He played in 77 total games with the 2004-05 Celtics, averaging 11.3 points, 6.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game with the team. He would leave the club over the summer, joining Walker on the Miami Heat, where he would play two more seasons before retiring. For more on Roberts, check tb727's longform article here.



Today is also the 29th anniversary of the Heat selecting former Celtics big man Fred Roberts in the 1988 NBA Expansion Draft. Roberts had become a Celtic after being traded from the Utah Jazz in exchange for a pick that the Jazz would use on Billy Donovan. Roberts, in the two seasons prior with Boston, logged 5.8 points and 2.4 boards per game, and would have a long if not especially remarkable career lasting until the 1996-97 season. He never actually played for the Heat, instead being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, and had stops with the Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dallas Mavericks before retiring.


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Image: Elsa/Getty
Video: OfficialHoopHall
Data: Basketball-reference.com
Follow Justin at @justinquinnn
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