Celtics

Celtics legend and Hall of Famer Sam Jones dies at 88

By Conor Roche

December 31, 2021

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Boston Celtics legend and Hall of Famer Sam Jones passed away Thursday evening. He was 88.

Jones played his entire 12-year NBA career with the Celtics, winning 10 titles between 1957-69. He was one of the three players (along with Bill Russell and K.C. Jones) to be a part of the Celtics’ eight straight title teams. Jones’s 10 NBA championships are second to just Russell for the most titles won by a player in league history.

As a shooting guard, Jones was known for his shooting ability, which helped earn him five All-Star Game nods and the nickname “The Shooter.” NBA historians viewed Jones as one of the first players to successfully utilize the bank shot. Over his career, he led the Celtics in scoring three times and averaged at least 20 points per game in four seasons. He’s seventh on the Celtics’ all-time scoring list.

In 1969, Jones became the first Black person to be inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame in 1984. Jones is one of the few players to be named to the NBA’s 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversary teams.

The Celtics remembered Jones in a statement.

“Sam Jones was one of the most talented, versatile, and clutch shooters for the most successful and dominant teams in NBA history,” the statement wrote. “His scoring ability was so prolific, and his form so pure, that he earned the simple nickname, “The Shooter.” He was also known as “Mr. Clutch.” One of the many testaments to his clutch performances is the fact that his playoff scoring average (18.9) exceeded his regular season output (17.7).

“His number 24 was retired in 1969, the final year of his Celtics career, which of course resulted in an NBA Championship – his tenth. Only Bill Russell won more championships in his NBA career. The Jones family is in our thoughts as we mourn his loss and fondly remember the life and career of one of the greatest champions in American sports.”

Former Celtics player and now Celtics radio analyst Cedric Maxwell was the first to share the news of Jones’s passing.

“Another one of my dear friends lost. Well, the banks are open in heaven this #NYE,” Maxwell wrote on Twitter. “RIP to fellow NC native, a legendary player, a 10x champion w our @Celtics, and a wonderful person.”

Jones passed due to natural causes, according to a Celtics spokesperson.