Today in Boston Celtics history, Jae Crowder was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, in 1990 to former NBA player Corey Crowder and his wife, Helen Thompson. The younger Crowder played his NCAA basketball at Marquette University in the Big East Conference, following previous stints suiting up at both Howard University and South Georgia Tech.
Following his college career, the Georgia native was selected by the Dallas Mavericks as the 34th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. He later joined the Boston Celtics via a 2014 trade with the Mavs, which also included Jameer Nelson and Brandan Wright in exchange for Dwight Powell and Rajon Rondo. Crowder played three seasons with the Celtics, averaging 12.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while with the team. Jae Chowder — as he was sometimes called while in Boston — was a high-motor fan favorite while a Celtic and kept ties in the region by supporting local business despite moving on in his career.
The former Marquette standout was with Isaiah Thomas, Ante Zizic, and draft assets for Kyrie Irving in 2017.
Transactions
Also on this date in 2006, the Celtics signed guard Allan Ray as a free agent out of Villanova after he went undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft. Ray, a native of the Bronx, New York, was first sent to a D League (as the G League was called in that era) assignment with the Austin Toros but was soon called up to play with the parent club.
The former Wildcat played 47 games for the Celtics, averaging 6.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Today in Boston Celtics history: Jae Crowder born; guard Allan Ray signed
