Boston Celtics: 25 Best Players To Play For The Celtics
By Phil Watson
Bob Cousy. 4. player. 18. <strong> How Acquired: </strong>Dispersal draft, Chicago Stags, Oct. 5, 1950. PG. 1950-63
Bob Cousy’s road to the Boston Celtics was a circuitous one.
The third overall pick by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks out of Holy Cross in the 1950 NBA Draft, Cousy wound up the property of the folded Chicago Stags that October after NBA president Maurice Podoloff ruled the Blackhawks had erred in signing former Stags player Frankie Brian.
Podoloff fixed the problem by making Tri-Cities place Cousy in the dispersal pool from Chicago, where the Celtics pounced on him for the $8,500 dispersal fee.
Once that was out of the way, all Cousy did was develop into the NBA’s MVP in 1956-57. He was a 13-time All-Star, earning MVP honors in the game in 1954 and 1957, and was named All-NBA 12 times.
He finished third in the MVP voting in 1955-56 and fourth in both 1958-59 and 1959-60.
He also won six titles while in Boston, leading the NBA in assists and assists per game eight straight seasons, from 1952-53 through 1959-60.
In seven appearances in the NBA Finals, Cousy averaged 17 points and 9.3 assists per game.
He retired in July 1963 and in 13 seasons with the Celtics averaged 18.5 points, 7.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 35.5 minutes per game, shooting 37.5 percent from the floor and 80.3 percent from the free-throw line.
In retirement, he coached six seasons at Boston College, going 114-38, before he was hired to coach the Cincinnati Royals. His rights were traded to the Royals for Bill Dinwiddie in November 1969 and he made a brief, seven-game comeback at age 41.
In parts of five seasons, 1969-73, with the Royals and later the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, Cousy was 141-207.
Cousy is 16th in NBA history with 6,955 assists and 20th with an average of 7.5 assists per game.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971.
Next: From 6th Man To The Man