---

The Boston Celtics announced today that the club has signed center Mark Blount. Per team policies, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Blount, the only Celtic to have played in all 82 regular season games in 2003-2004, set career-highs with 10.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 29.3 minutes per game last year. The four-year NBA veteran, ranked second in the league in Field Goal Percentage, behind Shaquille O'Neal, shooting 56.6 percent (342-for-604) from the field. He was tied for the team lead, with Paul Pierce, and set a career-high with 19 double-doubles. On March 1, 2004 against the Orlando Magic, Blount scored 28 points to go with a career-high 21 rebounds (the most rebounds by a Celtic in a decade).

Originally signed as a free agent by Boston on August 1, 2000, Blount appeared in 64 games his rookie season, posting averages of 3.9 points and 3.6 rebounds, while leading the team in blocked shots with 76, the most by a Celtics rookie since Kevin McHale in 1980-81.

After appearing in 44 games with the Celtics in 2001-02, averaging 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, Blount signed with the Denver Nuggets prior to the 2002-03 season. He was reacquired by the Celtics, along with Mark Bryant, in exchange for Shammond Williams, February 20, 2003 and finished the year with averages of 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. The Celtics re-signed Blount to a multi-year contract July 16, 2003.

Drafted in the second round, 55th overall, by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1997 NBA Draft, the 7-0, 250 pound center played in the USBL, IBO and IBL before joining the Celtics for the 2000 Shaw's Pro Summer League, when he appeared in 8 games, averaging 10.3 points on 55.6 percent shooting from the field.