Today in Boston Celtics history, Ron Watts was born in 1943 in Washington, District of Columbia. The former Boston big man played college basketball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and was subsequently selected by the Boston Celtics as the 17th overall pick in the 1965 NBA Draft.
The Washington native played for the Celtics for two seasons, suiting up for Boston in a total of just 29 games over that stretch, including just one game played during his rookie year. He won a championship with the team in a reserve role in 1966, concluding his career with averages of 1.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.1 assists per game.
He left the Celtics after being drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in the 1967 NBA expansion draft.
Historic milestones
On this date in 1992, former Boston forward Don Nelson was awarded the IBM NBA Coach of the Year, becoming the first coach in NBA history to win the honor three times. His Warriors recorded a 55-27 record, their second-best in the history of the franchise.
Nelson previously won the Coach of the Year award with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1983 and 1985, his first stop as head coach after leaving the Celtics as a player.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Ron Watts born; alum Don Nelson wins Coach of the Year