Sam Jones 10 NBA Championships

Lore & Background

Jones was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina, on June 24, 1933. He attended Laurinburg Institute. He studied and played college basketball at North Carolina Central University (then North Carolina College), where he was a four-year letterwinner for Hall of Fame coach John McLendon and coach Floyd Brown. Jones scored 1,745 points and was a three-time All-CIAA league selection. His number 41 was later retired by the Eagles. He also served in the United States Army for two years. He was intending to become a teacher after graduating. Jones was originally drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers as the eighth pick of the 1956 NBA draft, but opted to return to college to earn his degree upon completion of military service, voiding the Lakers' rights to him. Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach subsequently took a trip south to scout North Carolina players; the Celtics selected Jones with the eighth pick of the 1957 NBA draft, even though Auerbach had never seen Jones play. Jones made his NBA debut on October 22, 1957. He was a reserve for his first few seasons before replacing Bill Sharman as a starter, and earned his first All-Star appearance in 1962. Jones was one of only six Boston Celtics to have ever scored 50 points in an NBA game. At the time of his death in 2021, he owned Boston's sixth-best single-game scoring output (51 points vs. Detroit Pistons on October 29, 1965). He also recorded 22 points and 5 rebounds in Game 7 of the 1966 NBA Finals as the Celtics won their eighth straight NBA Finals. Jones ultimately played twelve seasons in the NBA with the Celtics, scoring 15,411 points, 2,209 assists, and 4,305 rebounds. He was the franchise's career scoring leader at the time of his retirement in 1969.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Boston Garden was thick with humidity and the roar of fifty thousand fans. The clock ticked down to single digits, the score knotted tight against a formidable rival. Bill Russell had just secured another defensive rebound, firing the ball upcourt to Sam's waiting hands. Jones didn't hesitate. He rose for his signature pull-up jumper from mid-range, the release smooth and automatic. As the buzzer sounded, the net snapped, and the crowd erupted—another championship sealed by the man who never blinked when it mattered most.

Reader's Guide

After retiring from basketball, Jones coached at Federal City College (now University of the District of Columbia) from 1969 to 1973 and at North Carolina Central University in 1973–74. He was an assistant coach for the New Orleans Jazz in 1974–75. Jones was known as a clutch scorer. He participated in five All-Star Games, and is usually recognized as having been one of the best shooting guards of his generation. Jones was named to the All-NBA Second Team three straight years (1965–67) and he played on 10 championship teams (1959–66 and 1968–69) — a total exceeded only by teammate Bill Russell in NBA history. Jones' perfect form when shooting a jump shot, along with his great clutch shooting, led opponents to nickname him "The Shooter." He was particularly adept at shooting the bank shot. At 6-foot-4, Jones was the prototype of the tall guard who could run the floor and bang the boards. One of the "Jones Boys" in Boston, Sam teamed with K. C. Jones in the Celtics' backcourt. Jones led Boston in scoring five times, and he averaged 20 points or better in four consecutive seasons (1965–1968). He scored 2,909 points in 154 playoff games (18.89 PPG).

Did You Know?

• Jones has the second most NBA championships of any player (10), behind only Bill Russell (11).
• He was one of only three Celtics (along with Russell and K. C. Jones) to be part of each of the Celtics' eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966.
• Jones was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.
• He was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team (1971), as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996), and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021).
• Jones died on December 30, 2021, in Boca Raton, Florida, at age 88.