Today in Boston Celtics history, in 2004, point guard Dana Barros signed with the team as an unrestricted free agent, marking the final, albeit brief, chapter of his 14-season career. This signing was the start of Barros' second tenure with the Celtics, following a five-season stint with Boston from 1995 to 2000. An alum of Boston College, Barros was a local guy who was born in Boston in 1967. Drafted with the 16th overall pick of the 1989 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, Barros played for that team and the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Celtics in 1995. From there, he was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks in a massive, four-team deal in 2000.
Barros was dealt yet again to the Detroit Pistons two months later. Barros signed a deal as a player after being out of the league for nearly two seasons, having worked as an assistant for the Celtics before inking the deal as a player.
Barros played one more game as a Celtic before retiring. He averaged 10.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while a Celtic.
Birthdays
It is the birthday of ex-Boston big man Frank Brickowski, born this day in 1959 in Bayville, New York. An alum of Penn State, Brickowski also played for the SuperSonics, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, and Charlotte Hornets before signing as a free agent with the Celtics in 1996. Brickowski averaged 4.8 points and 2 rebounds per game with the Celtics, retiring at the end of the 1996-97 season.
Chucky Atkins shares the birthday with Brickowski, born in 1974 in Orlando, Florida. Atkins played his NCAA ball at the South Florida and played for the Orlando Magic and the Pistons before coming to Boston in a trade with Detroit. Atkins was with the Celtics for 24 games of the 2003-04 season, averaging 12 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game while with Boston.
It is also the birthday of Fred Roberts, born in Provo, Utah on this day in 1960. A BYU alum, Roberts played for the Spurs and Utah Jazz, who traded him to the Celtics for the pick that was used to draft current Oklahoma City Thunder coach Billy Donovan. Roberts played two seasons for Boston. He averaged 5.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and an assist per game with the team before being drafted by the Miami Heat in the 1988 NBA expansion draft.
The pair share their birthday with Mfiondu Kabengele. Born this day in Burlington, Ontario, Canada in 1997, Kabengele played his NCAA ball for Florida State, drafted by the Brooklyn Nets with the 27th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft before he was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers. After stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and in the G League, the Canadian joined the Maine Celtics after a strong summer league, averaging 1.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Gone too soon
It is also the day former Celtics guard Jack “Dutch” Garfinkel passed away in 2013.
A product of St. John’s University, Garfinkel played in the rival American Basketball League (ABL) and National Basketball League (NBL — not to be confused with today’s Australian league) before joining Boston in its inaugural campaign of 1946-47. He averages 5.2 points and 1.5 assists per game while with the Celtics.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Barros signs; Brickowski, Kabengele born; Garfinkel passes