Here is an attempt to list the top five foreign-born players in Celtics history:
5. Wally Szczerbiak: Despite playing in just 64 games for the Celtics, Wally edges out both Jiri Welsch and Michael Olowokandi
for the fifth slot. Szczerbiak averaged 17.5 points and 3.2 assists per
game in 32 games in the 2005-06 season and 15 points per game in 32
contests the next year. Szczerbiak was born in Madrid before moving to
Long Island, N.Y., as a child.
4. Vitaly Potapenko: "The Ukraine Train" was shipped to Boston from Cleveland for Andrew DeClerq
and a first-round pick in 1999. V averaged 9.2 points and 6.3 rebounds
per game in his first full year with the C's in the 1999-2000 season --
his only campaign as a full-time starter.
3. Dominique Wilkins: Nique,
also known as "The Human Highlight Film," is the most decorated
foreign-born Celtics player, but he only lasted one year in the Hub.
The Paris native played in 77 games for the C's in the 1994-95 season,
averaging 17.8 points, 5.2 boards and 2.2 assists en route to an
All-Star nod. Wilkins played in nine career All-Star games and finished
in the top 10 in scoring nine times, finishing first in 1986 with 30.3
PPG.
2. Rick Fox: The Celtics' first-round pick out of North Carolina
(by way of Canada) in the 1991 draft lasted six seasons with
Boston. Arguably the best year of his C's career was his last one, when
he averaged a career-high 15.4 points to go with 5.2 rebounds
and 3.8 assists per game in the 1996-97 season. Fox averaged 10.7
points in 444 career games for the C's from 1991-1997.
1. Dino Radja: The
40th overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft turned out to be a steal for
the C's, who opted for the 6-foot-11, 26-year-old Croatian forward.
Radja played just four seasons for the Celtics, but they were
ever-lasting for C's fans, who watched Radja, along with Dee Brown,
attempt to carry a team that won just 115 of 328 games (.351 winning
percentage). Radja earned second-team All-NBA Rookie honors in the
1993-94 season by putting up 15.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
That year happened to break the franchise's 14-year playoff streak as
the C's went just 32-50, their lowest win total since 1978-79. Radja
would play 224 career games for the Celtics and average 16.7 points,
8.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting .497 from the
floor in 3,052 career attempts.
Izvor: nesn.com