June 17th wasn’t just the 16th anniversary of the Celtics’ 2008 championship-clinching blowout of the Lakers. It was the 38th anniversary of the 1986 NBA draft.
That draft led to a photograph that I’m sure an entire generation of Celtics fans has come to view with a mixture of sadness and wistfulness. Here, in this photo, is one of the most tragic what-ifs in NBA history. With their pick, the Celtics chose Len Bias, a two-time ACC Player of the Year and Maryland senior, who died two days after the draft of a cocaine-induced heart arrhythmia.