Today in Boston Celtics history, former Boston Celtics big man Fab Melo (rest in peace) was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013.
Today in Boston Celtics history, former Boston Celtics big man Fab Melo (Rest in Peace) was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013. The Celtics traded Fabricio Paulino de Melo (his full name) to the Griz for Donte Green after a rough rookie season with Boston that saw the native of Juiz de Fora, Brazil suit up for only six games at the NBA level.
The Syracuse alum had been picked up by the Celtics the summer prior with the 22nd overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. Instead, he would spend most of his sole season with Boston playing for the team’s developmental franchise in the G League, (then) the Maine Red Claws (now, Maine Celtics). His ungainliness off the court did not do him any favors with the media, either, with Melo famously concussing himself after hitting his head on a door at a hotel.
Tragically, he died mysteriously of natural causes in his sleep at just 26 years old in 2017 — taken much too soon.
Birthdays
It is also the birthday of former Boston forward Ed Stanczak. Born this day in 1921 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Stanczak jumped right to the NBA several years after high school, joining the (now defunct) Anderson Packers in the 1946-47 season while they were still a part of the National Basketball League (NBL – a precursor league of the NBA).
The Indiana native would be drafted by Boston in the dispersal draft after the Packers folded at the end of the 1949-50 season, and Stanczak would play just 19 games for the Celtics the next season. He averaged 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in his brief time with Boston.
It is also the birthday of Celtics short-timer center Bruno Fernando. Born in Luanda, Angola in 1998, Fernando played his college ball with Maryland before being picked up 34th overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, who soon dealt him to the Atlanta Hawks for Jordan Bone and draft assets.
The Angola native would play parts of three seasons with the Hawks before he was dealt to the Celtics with Kris Dunn as part of the trade that sent Tristan Thompson to the Sacramento Kings in 2021. Fernando only played 20 games for Boston before he was dealt to the Houston Rockets as part of the deal bringing back Daniel Theis in 2022, averaging 1 point and 0.8 rebounds per game with the team.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Celtics history: Fab Melo trade, Ed Stanczak, Bruno Fernando born
Category: Basketball
