K.C. Jones - # 248

 

Celtics Legend, Hall-of-Famer K.C. Jones Dies at 88

 He was number 248 on the list.

Former Boston Celtics guard and coach K.C. Jones died at the age of 88 on Friday, the team confirmed.

Jones won eight championships with Boston in nine seasons from 1958-67. He then won four titles as a coach, two as an assistant before leading Boston to the championship as head coach in 1984 and 1986. Jones, who passed at an assistant living facility in Connecticut where he had been treated for Alzheimer’s disease, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.

"Where K.C. Jones went, winning was sure to follow," the Celtics said in a statement on Friday. "In NBA history, only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones have more championship rings during their playing careers."

"K.C. along with Russell, Clyde Lovellette, Jerry Lucas, Quinn Buckner, Earvin “Magic “Johnson and Michael Jordan, are the only players in history to achieve basketball’s “Triple Crown” – winning an NCAA Championship, an NBA Championship and an Olympic Gold Medal. His number 25 has hung from the rafters since 1967."

"From winning two NCAA titles to earning an Olympic gold medal to helping the Celtics win eight consecutive NBA Finals during his Hall of Fame career, K.C.'s extraordinary accomplishments and impact will long be remembered," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with K.C.'s loved ones and the entire Celtics organization."

Jones and Russell won two titles together at the University of San Francisco in 1955 and 1956. They are also the only two Black head coaches to ever win multiple NBA championships. Jones's eight championships are the third-most in NBA history, trailing teammates Sam Jones and Russell.

Jones tallied 105 playoff games in nine years with the Celtics. He won the championship in each of his first eight seasons, retiring after the Celtics lost to the 76ers in the 1967 Eastern Division Finals.

Jones attended Commerce High School in San Francisco, California, where he played basketball and football. He played college basketball at the University of San Francisco and, along with Bill Russell, guided the Dons to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956. During their time with the Dons, Russell and Jones led the team to a then-record 55-game win streak and helped pioneer a play that later became known as the alley-oop.

Jones also played with Russell on the United States team which won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.

ones began his coaching career at Brandeis University, serving as its head coach from 1967 to 1970. He served as an assistant coach at Harvard University from 1970 to 1971. Jones then reunited with former teammate Bill Sharman as the assistant coach for the 1971–72 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. During that season, the team won a record 33 straight games. He became the first-ever head coach of the ABA's San Diego Conquistadors on August 8, 1972.

One week after Jones' only season with the Conquistadors ended with his resignation, he signed a three‐year contract to succeed Gene Shue in a similar capacity with the Capital Bullets (name changed to Washington Bullets beginning in 1974–75) on June 18, 1973. During his three years in Washington, the Bullets had a 155–91 win‐loss record and arguably the most talented team in the league. Being swept by the Golden State Warriors in the 1975 NBA Finals and a seven-game loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals the following year resulted in Jones' contract not being renewed on May 7, 1976. He was replaced by Dick Motta three weeks later on May 28, 1976.

In 1983, Jones took over as head coach of the Boston Celtics, replacing Bill Fitch. Jones guided the Larry Bird-led Celtics to championships in 1984 and 1986. Also in 1986, Jones led the Eastern squad in the 1986 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas at the Reunion Arena, beating the Western squad 139–132. The Celtics won the Atlantic Division in all five of Jones's seasons as head coach and reached the NBA Finals in four of his five years as coach. In a surprise announcement, he retired after the 1987–88 season and was succeeded by assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers. Jones spent one season in the Celtics' front office in 1988–89, then resigned to join the Seattle SuperSonics as an assistant coach and basketball consultant for the 1989–90 season. He served as head coach of the Sonics in 1990–91 and 1991–92.

In 1994, Jones joined the Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach for one season. The Pistons' head coach at that time, Don Chaney, had previously played for Jones with the Celtics. Jones was also considered to once again coach the Celtics during the off-season in 1995. In 1996, Jones returned to the Boston Celtics, this time as an assistant coach for one season.

He was an assistant coach on the Celtics team that won it all in 1981 before guiding the team led by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to the 1984 and '86 championships.

Jones returned to the professional coaching ranks in 1997, guiding the New England Blizzard of the fledgling women's American Basketball League (1996–1998) through its last 1½ seasons of existence. The Blizzard made the playoffs in his second year as head coach, but they were summarily dispatched by the San Jose Lasers

He's the second Celtics legend to die recently, following the passing of Tommy Heinsohn on Nov. 9.

Jones' path to becoming a basketball legend started in college when he helped lead the Dons to back-to-back national championships in 1955 and 1956 and was a consensus All-American. He entered the NBA as a second-round draft pick in 1956 and played nine seasons with the Celtics.

During that time, he became a perennial champion who helped set up his talented teammates as a point guard and floor general. Some of those teammates included Russell, John Havlicek and Tom Heinsohn.

He averaged 7.4 points, 4.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game throughout his career.

Following his playing career, Jones transitioned into coaching. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Celtics and Detroit Pistons and a head coach for the Washington Bullets, Celtics and Seattle SuperSonics.

He coached many all-stars and notable players such as Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Bill Walton, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. 

While scouting Russell, sharp-eyed Celtics coach Red Auerbach took notice of Jones and selected him in the second round of the 1956 NBA Draft. Instead of going to camp with the Celtics, however, Jones joined the Army and served for almost two years. He later said that he thought he wouldn’t have made the 1956-57 Celtics team because the squad had such a deep bench.

When his hitch with the Army was finished in 1958, he again sidestepped professional basketball. Although Jones hadn’t played college football, Pete Rozelle, a former University of San Francisco public relations official and future NFL commissioner who had seen him excel in high school, brought him to the attention of the Los Angeles Rams, who made him a late draft pick. After playing several exhibition games as a defensive back for the Rams, Jones suffered a leg injury and quit the sport.

"K.C. Jones is the nicest human being I ever met in my life," said Hall of Famer Larry Bird. "He was a gracious man, not just to his players, but to all."

"I just received a call letting me know my x-roommate/teammate and most of all friend, the great KC Jones, passed this morning," Bill Russell wrote on Twitter next to a photo of the pair smiling around a table.