Dana Barros had a long NBA career (13 years), but it was his time with Boston where he succeeded the most. Barros donned the green and white on two separate occasions, from 1995-00 and from 2003-04. Barros best year for the Celtics (and his whole career) came in 1995, where he made the All-Star Game and was named the NBA’s most improved player. In that year, he average 13.0 points/game to go along with 3.8 assists/game.
Before joining his hometown team, Barros attended Xaverian Brothers High School (in my hometown of Westwood, MA) and then attended Boston College. He was drafted 16th overall in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics. He spent four years with the Sonics and before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he spent two years. In his last year with the Sixers, Barros averaged 20.6 points/game.
Barros spent his prime with the Celtics, becoming a role player alongside David West and Dee Brown and also helping mentor Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce. He was traded to the Detroit Pistons after the 2000 season and spent two years in Detroit. However, he finished out his NBA career with the team he grew up loving, the Celtics. He finished his career with 10.5 points/game and 3.3 assists/game.
Upon retiring from the NBA, Barros opened up his own sports club, the Dana Barros Sports Complex. I actually attended a basketball camp that he held and it really helped me improve on my skills. He was a great coach and a great guy. Unfortunately, he incurred massive debts and had to close the complex in 2006. He now works with media relations for the Celtics.
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