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close, and Russell assisted Jones and his wife, Gladys, with getting situated in Boston. Jones played off the bench be- hind starting guards Hall of Famers Bob Cousy and Frank Ramsey in his rookie year. The Celtics returned to NBA Fi- nals in 1958 but lost in six games to the St. Louis Hawks. The loss was the only
NBA franchise to feature an all-Black starting five with Bill Russell, Tom “Satch” Sanders, Willie Naulls, and K.C. Jones. Throughout Jones’ career, he and the Celtics annually met Wilt Chamberlain (Mu 1957) led teams in Philadelphia for the Eastern Confer- ence Finals and later in the 1960s the
City College in Washington, D.C. (now the University of the District of Co- lumbia). He led his alma mater, North Carolina Central University as head basketball coach in 1973 and 1974. He later worked as an assistant coach for the NBA New Orleans Jazz. After retiring, Jones became a substi-
“In the seventh game of a championship series, I'll take Sam over any player who has ever walked on a court.” —the late Bill Russell NBA Finals defeat in Jones’ 11-year pro basketball career. Jones eventually moved into the
Chamberlain-led Los Angeles Lak- ers. In all but one year, Jones’ teams prevailed in post-season battles with Chamberlain’s teams. He led the Celtics in scoring three times and averaged at 17.7 points per game for his career during his playing career. He also averaged over 20 points per game in the post-season. Jones is currently seventh on the Celtics’ all- time scoring list and played in an era before the three-point shot. After retiring from the NBA after the 1968-69 season, Jones became the athletic director and coach at Federal
tute teacher in Maryland. He continued to teach for more than 30 years. Dur- ing his retirement years, Jones lived in Silver Spring for almost 30 years. He was a substitute teacher for Montgom- ery County Public Schools (MCPS) at Springbrook, Blake, Paint Branch, Gaithersburg high schools. He also taught at Gaithersburg Middle School. Brother Sam Jones is preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 60 years, Gladys (née Chavis) Jones, daugh- ter Phyllis. He is survived by Aubre (Karen) Jones, Michael (Karla) Jones, Terri (Jonathan) Foster, and Ashley (Mary) Jones; grandchildren, Phoenix, Reilly, Noah, Luisa (and daughter, Ella), Will, Dylan, Dania, Wanda, Marcela, Brandon, Tyler, Joshua (Jesika), Jorden, Jaime, Samuel, Kaley, Kelly, Alanna, Addison, and Samantha; son-in-law Edward Porter and numerous nieces and nephews. The Boston Celtics honored Jones with a moment of silence before New Year’s Eve game against the Phoenix Suns, including showing a video tribute on the screen hanging among the cham- pionship banners above the parquet floor at the TD Garden Center. “We never flew first class in my 12 years of playing basketball.” Jones told the Associated Press in an interview for the league's 75th Anniversary. “But we always won NBA championships.”
Celtics starting lineup and won ten NBA championships in 11 seasons, culminat- ing in the 1968-69 season. Known as “the Shooter” and “Mr. Clutch,” Jones developed a patented mid-range bank shot and was a vital player in the 1960s Boston Celtics dynasty. Jones developed a well-earned reputation for playing well in conference finals and NBA finals. Russell on his clutch teammate, In 1964, the Boston Celtics made league history by becoming the first
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Selected to the All-NBA Second Team three times and an All-Star five times Inducted in 1983 into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 into the College Basketball Hall of Fame Jones is a member of the NCCU Athletics Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, the NAIA Hall of Fame, and the CIAA Hall of Fame On March 9, 1969, the Celtics retired Sam Jones’ number 24 jersey
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♦ NCCU retired his number 41. In 2015, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory presented Jones with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award, the highest honor bestowed upon to a North Carolina citizen ♦ The NBA named Jones to its 25 th Silver Anniversary All-Time Team and its 75 th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2021 ♦ In 1996, the NBA named Jones as one of its 50 greatest players in its history ♦ Along with teammate Bill Russell, Jones is one of six players in NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL history to win 10 or more championships. The others are Henri Richard (11) of the Montreal Canadians, Yogi Berra (10) of the New York Yankees, Jean Beliveau, and Yvan Cournoyer of the Montreal Canadians ♦ Along with fellow basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (Beta Eta 1960), Jones served as honorary co-chairman of the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation’s Building the Dream Klassic Weekend
48 | SUMMER 2022 ♦ THE JOURNAL
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