Mal Graham - Boston Celtics 2-time champion - any information?
airjoedan
Posts: 776 ✭✭✭
I recently obtained a few autographs from an old Boston Celtics collection and came across a few of a player I had never heard of: Mal Graham. According to Wikipedia, he played for three years - winning two NBA Championships and retired due to a strange medical condition. Additionally, it is noted that he went on to have a prominent career as a judge - and still serves in Massachusetts.
In a few google searches, I found that he was a highly coveted 1st round draft pick with a lot of high expectations - although no site seems to specifically go on to mention why he retired. A search of eBay does not show any of his items for sale - AND, I do not see any mention of his name on any sports collector website I am a member of.
The reason I am posting this on here is because I know there is a lot of knowledge on this board - and I know that there are a lot of big Boston Celtic fans. So, my question is: why did he retire? Does he have any basketball cards or memorabilia of any kind issued? I couldn't even find a picture of him in a Celtics uniform... Just looking for information out of curiousity as it isn't often there isn't much information offered about a big 1st round pick and a career that short.
Thanks again!
In a few google searches, I found that he was a highly coveted 1st round draft pick with a lot of high expectations - although no site seems to specifically go on to mention why he retired. A search of eBay does not show any of his items for sale - AND, I do not see any mention of his name on any sports collector website I am a member of.
The reason I am posting this on here is because I know there is a lot of knowledge on this board - and I know that there are a lot of big Boston Celtic fans. So, my question is: why did he retire? Does he have any basketball cards or memorabilia of any kind issued? I couldn't even find a picture of him in a Celtics uniform... Just looking for information out of curiousity as it isn't often there isn't much information offered about a big 1st round pick and a career that short.
Thanks again!
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Cross-Court Pass
By Reagan Berube
He did not have the typical rookie season. Forget about becoming acquainted with your coach, your teammates or learning a system of plays. For Mal Graham, rising before dawn, marching in the chilling cold and performing rifle drills were just as much a part of his first NBA season as lay-ups and wind sprints are for others.
Graham as a Celtic
As a member of the United States National Guard, Graham found out the true meaning of pushing his body to the limit. The 1967 First Round Draft Pick of the Boston Celtics spent the second half of his rookie season on an army base in Fort Dix, New Jersey. After an entire day of boot camp, a lieutenant would drive Graham to the city in which the Celtics were playing so that he could continue playing basketball.
"If they had been kind enough to defer my service time, I would have completed the season in full," said Graham. "But they didn't, and so I was pulled off the starting team for basic training. It was a very difficult time to say the least. I would go through an entire day of drills and then rush to the basketball game dog tired."
Graham's atypical rookie routine set the tone for what proved to be nothing less than an extraordinary life. A member of the last Boston teams to win back-to-back championships, he went on to break ground as both an administrator with the Celtics and then as a prominent figure in the field of law.
Graham's two championship seasons started and concluded an abbreviated NBA career, but the brevity of his time in the league was not due to lack of ability. An All-American in his college days at New York University, he was drafted by the Celtics in hopes that he would succeed K.C. Jones as a playmaker and defensive stopper. But after his service time with the National Guard was fulfilled, Graham continued to feel physically drained during practices and games. A check-up revealed he had sarcoid, a disease which leaves the body feeling fatigued. Heeding the advice of his doctor, Graham opted to take a year off in hopes that his condition would improve.
In true testament to the camaraderie Red Auerbach instilled in his teams and the bond he had with his players, Auerbach hired the ailing Graham to be the Celtics first-ever Chief Scout. In this position, Graham's primary duty was to scour the collegiate circuit and make recommendations to Auerbach as to who the Celtics should draft. Auerbach's decision to hire Graham in this capacity paid huge dividends that the organization would reap for an entire decade.
"One player that was high on my list was Dave Cowens," said Graham. "I ended up seeing him play for Florida St. against Kent St., a school that was no great power. But almost every other scout in the league was there, including Bob Cousy, who was scouting for the Cincinnati Royals."
"At halftime, I noticed that Cousy was putting on his jacket. 'The kid is a stiff,' he said to me, and then he walked out. I still thought Cowens was a tremendous player, but I told Red of Cousy leaving the game when I got back. Red laughed and reminded me that Cincinnati was drafting right behind us!"
The Celtics chose Cowens with their first pick in the 1969 draft. He would lead the Celtics to two World Titles and embodied the skill, dedication and toughness the organization stood for.
Unfortunately, Graham was never able to play alongside his prize pick. A season on the sidelines didn't improve his illness, and he opted to retire. Rather than build a career in basketball, he decided to pursue a career in a field that both interested and affected him growing up in rural Georgia, as a student in New York City and as a professional player in Boston..
Graham today
"I grew up in the 60's, when the whole social fabric of the United States changed as a result of decisions being made by the courts. The legal system played a very important role in the lives of minorities. I felt I could make a difference in some lives. I thought that it was a very noble calling."
Graham entered Boston College's School of Law and graduated with his J.D. in 1974. He took his first job in the field as a lawyer with Peabody and&; Brown, a Boston firm, dealing mainly in civil trials, as well as administrative and labor law.
In 1982, Graham was appointed to the Roxbury District Court and it was here that he began to preside over civil matters and deal directly with young people from challenging socio-economic backgrounds. He served there until 1986 when Governor Michael Dukakis appointed him Massachusetts Superior Court Justice, the highest court in the state's jurisdiction. He continues to work in this capacity today.
"It was a time in which the city was being reshaped," said Graham of his early years as a lawyer and judge in Boston. "There were many efforts to make Boston a world class city, and we are seeing the results today of what we did to improve our city."
Since then, Graham has gone on to preside over several high profile cases, including the Richard Rosenthal "Ziti Killer" case. He is on the governing bodies of many local and national law organizations, serving as President of the Massachusetts Black Judges Association. He also received a Judicial Excellence Award from the Massachusetts Judges Conference in 1998. Graham founded and still presides as President of the International Judicial Exchange Program, a program that gives judges from around the world a chance to experience other legal systems. He is also on the Board of Trustees of the New England Sports Museum.
In 1992, he was honored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association with its Silver Anniversary Top Six Award, which recognizes six individuals nationwide each year for outstanding achievement over the past 25 years in both athletic and professional endeavors.
Throughout his career in law, Graham has remained loyal to the Celtics tradition. He still attends home games and stays in contact with many of his former teammates. He still cares for the Green and White now as much as he did when he drove hundreds of miles to play for them as a rookie. He still has Celtics Pride in his soul.
"What is important to me as a member of the organization is that we have teams that are highly competitive, that they play hard and represent the spirit of the Celtics on the court," said Graham. "You can't always win, but if you do those things you will win your share of games. It is a wonderful and special feeling to be part of those great teams. But I get no great satisfaction in that the Celtics teams since have not been able to (win back-to-back titles). I will be very happy when the teams I played on no longer hold that distinction. We want that tradition to continue."
This story originally appeared in Celtics Insider, the official monthly magazine of the Boston Celtics. Here is a LINK to the article which also shows him in a Celtics uniform.
Doug
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Doug
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