Celtics legend K.C. Jones reportedly passes away at age of 88
Celtics legend K.C. Jones has reportedly passed away on Christmas.
The Boston Celtics are spending this Christmas gearing up for a showdown against the Brooklyn Nets. Unfortunately, the franchise was hit with some sad news.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps is reporting that Celtics legend K.C. Jones has died at the age of 88.
Sad news on this Christmas: Celtics legend KC Jones has died. Jones, a college teammate of Bill Russell at the University of San Francisco, where they won two NCAA titles, won 12 NBA championships — 11 with Boston: eight as a player, one as an assistant and two as a head coach.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) December 25, 2020
Jones’ legacy in Boston
This is incredibly sad news and our thoughts go out to all his loved ones on this tough Christmas. Jones’ resume is one of the most impressive in NBA history and he was a winner both as a player and a coach.
KC Jones was simply a legend. Jones is the only African-American coach other than Bill Russell to win multiple NBA championships. The Hall of Famer also won eight as a player. Say what you want about Boston, but Russell and Jones were two of the first NBA black coaches there. https://t.co/hfoQJC1IXz
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) December 25, 2020
Jones and Bill Russell began as a duo in college at the University of San Francisco, where they won two national championships. Then they teamed up again in Boston and won eight titles alongside each other.
His playing career lasted from 1958-1967, but he quickly got his start as a coach. After holding several jobs in college and the NBA, Jones became head coach of the Celtics in 1983. He proceeded to guide the Celtics to a title that season and won a second two years later. Jones also has two rings as an assistant coach. All the man did was win.
This has been a rough couple of months for the Celtics family as Tommy Heinsohn passed away back in November.
Jones is a major figure in Celtics lore and his passing is a sad one. The team recently honored Heinsohn and we should expect the same with Jones.
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The Celtics would not be such a legendary franchise without the great play and leadership from Jones and others from his era. He is a Hall of Famer both professionally and as a college player and his accolades are too much to count. This is a sad day for the franchise and once again our thoughts go out to his family and all his loved ones.