Boston Celtics jersey history No. 19 - Don Nelson (1965-76)
The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- the league that would become today's NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history.
To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
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With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.
BOSTON - 1976: (L-R) Dave Cowens #18, Don Nelson #19 and John Havlicek #17 of the Boston Celtics sit on the bench during a game in the 1976 NBA Finals at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Celtics defeated the Phoenix Suns 4-2 and won the the 1976 NBA Championship. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1976 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)
And for today's article, we will continue with the sixth of six people to wear the No. 19 jersey, Hall of Fame Boston forward Don Nelson. After ending his college career at Iowa, Nelson was picked up with the 19th overall selection of the 1962 NBA draft by the (defunct) Chicago Zephyrs.
The Muskegon, Michigan native would play the first season of his pro career with the Zephyrs. He would also play for the Los Angeles Lakers before joining Boston in 1965 as a free agent. His stay with the team would span the last 11 seasons of his playing career in the league, and see him win five titles with the club in that span, his number later retired by the team.
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During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Nelson wore only jersey No. 19 and put up 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics jersey history No. 19 - Don Nelson (1965-76)
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