According to ESPN, Boston Celtics legend Sam Jones of Wilmington, North Carolina, passed away on Thursday at the age of 88. Jones played 12 seasons with the Celtics from 1957 to 1969. Known for his versatility, Jones played shooting guard, point guard, and small forward for the Celtics.
However what Jones will be most remembered by is his 10 NBA titles. Jones is second all-time in NBA history, behind only Bill Russell, who we rank as the fifth best basketball player ever. Russell won a record 11 NBA Finals. Jones and Russell won in 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969 with the Celtics, while Russell’s other NBA title came in 1957.
Jones played 871 NBA games, and was an All-Star in 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1968. He averaged 17.7 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 2.5 assists per game. Jones also had a career field goal percentage of .456, and a career free throw percentage of .803.
Sam Jones died one year and five days later than his former Celtics teammate K.C. Jones, who died on Christmas Day, 2020. K.C. Jones played for the Celtics from 1958 to 1967.
Sam Jones played his college basketball at North Carolina Central from 1951 to 1954, and again from 1956-57. He was the Celtics first round draft pick, eighth overall, in the 1957 NBA Draft. Jones is the only player selected from the 1957 NBA Draft who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Jones was honoured in 1984.
Jones is one of 28 players in NBA history to score 50 points in a playoff game. He achieved the feat in game four of the 1958 Eastern Division semifinals, a 118-109 Celtics win over the New York Knicks on March 28, 1958 when he scored 51 points.
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