Samuel Jones (June 24, 1933 – December 30, 2021) was an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player who was a
shooting guard
The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...
for the
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...
in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...
(NBA). A five-time
NBA All-Star
The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of a ...
, he was known for his quickness and game-winning shots, especially during the
NBA playoffs. Jones has the
second most NBA championships of any player (10), behind only his teammate
Bill Russell
William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Va ...
(11). He was also one of only three Celtics (along with teammates Russell and
K. C. Jones) to be part of each of the Celtics' eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. Jones is a member of the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
.
Early life
Sam Jones was born in
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.
With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is t ...
, on June 24, 1933.
He attended
Laurinburg Institute
Laurinburg Institute is a historic African American preparatory school in Laurinburg, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1904 by Emmanuel Monty and Tinny McDuffie at the request of Booker T. Washington. Emmanuel McDuffie was a graduate ...
,
before studying at
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from ...
(then North Carolina College). There, he was a four-year letterwinner for
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
coach
John McLendon
John B. McLendon Jr. (April 5, 1915 – October 8, 1999) was an American basketball coach who is recognized as the first African American basketball coach at a predominantly white university and the first African American head coach in any professi ...
and coach Floyd Brown. Jones scored 1,745 points and was a three-time All-CIAA league selection. His number 41 was later
retired
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
by the Eagles.
He also served in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...
for two years.
He was intending to become a teacher after graduating.
Playing career
Jones was originally drafted by the
Minneapolis Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Founded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. As of summer 2012, t ...
in the eighth round of the
1956 NBA draft
The 1956 NBA draft was the tenth annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 30, 1956, before the 1956–57 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball ...
.
However, he opted to return to college to earn his degree upon completion of military service, and therefore voided the Lakers' rights to him under NBA rules.
Boston Celtics
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
coach
Red Auerbach
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. ...
subsequently took a trip south to scout
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
players who had just won the national championship. Former
Wake Forest coach
Bones McKinney told Auerbach he could visit
Chapel Hill, but the best player in the state was a few miles away.
Eventually, the
Philadelphia Warriors
The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden St ...
selected North Carolina's
Lennie Rosenbluth with the sixth pick of the
1957 NBA draft
The 1957 NBA draft was the 11th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 17, 1957, before the 1957–58 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball pl ...
. Boston selected Jones two picks later, even though Auerbach had never seen Jones play.
Jones made his NBA debut on October 22, 1957,
recording one
rebound in three minutes played against the
St. Louis Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...
. He was a
reserve for a number of seasons before replacing
Bill Sharman
William Walton Sharman (May 25, 1926 – October 25, 2013) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what was then consider ...
as a
starter.
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
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at ...
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 to go along with 2,209
assists and 4,305
rebounds
'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...
.
He was the franchise's career scoring leader at the time of his retirement in 1969.
Coaching career
After retiring from basketball, Jones coached at
Federal City College (now known as
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1851 and is the only public university in the city. UDC is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall ...
) from 1969 to 1973 and at North Carolina Central University, his alma mater, in 1973–74. He was an assistant coach for the
New Orleans Jazz in 1974–75.
Player profile
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 guard
The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...
s 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
William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Va ...
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, in which the shooter bounces the ball off the backboard en route to the basket.
Many coaches, including
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
's great
John Wooden, believe that when a shooter is at a 20- to 50-degree angle to the backboard and inside 15 feet, a bank shot is always the preferred shot. At 6-foot-4, Jones was the prototype of the tall guard who could run the floor and bang the boards, and had a rangy offensive game that gave opponents fits. One of the "Jones Boys" in Boston, Sam teamed with
K. C. Jones in the Celtics' backcourt to create havoc in NBA arenas around the country.
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), 92nd best in history as of the 2021 postseason.
Honors
Jones was inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1962. Seven years later, he was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame[—the first African-American thus honored.] Jones was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
in 1984. He was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team (1971), as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, also referred to as NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, were chosen in 1996 to honor the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the third anniversary team ...
(1996), and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team, also referred to as the NBA 75, was chosen in 2021 to honor the 75th anniversary of the founding of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was the fourth and most recent anniversary team in the league. S ...
(2021).[ He was part of the inaugural class inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
In the 2021-2022 NBA season, the Boston Celtics wore a black band with the number 24 on their jersey, to honor Jones who died that year.
]
Personal life
Jones was married to Gladys Chavis until her death in 2018. Together, they had five children. He lived for several decades in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...
, during which time he often served as a substitute teacher in the Montgomery County public school system. He resided in St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inha ...
, in retirement.
Jones died on the evening of December 30, 2021, in Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...
. He was 88 years old.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
See also
*
* List of NBA players with most championships
* List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise
References
External links
Sam Jones—Hoophall Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Sam
1933 births
2021 deaths
20th-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American people
African-American basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from North Carolina
Basketball players from North Carolina
Boston Celtics draft picks
Boston Celtics players
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Minneapolis Lakers draft picks
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
National Basketball Association All-Stars
National Basketball Association players with retired numbers
North Carolina Central Eagles men's basketball coaches
North Carolina Central Eagles men's basketball players
Shooting guards
Sportspeople from Wilmington, North Carolina