.JPG) Jones with theBoston Celtics in 1960 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1932-05-25)May 25, 1932 Taylor, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | December 25, 2020(2020-12-25) (aged 88) Connecticut, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Commerce (San Francisco, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College | San Francisco (1952–1956) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1956: 2nd round, 13th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1958–1967 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 27, 25 | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1967–1998 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
| 1958–1967 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
| 1967–1970 | Brandeis | ||||||||||||||
| 1970–1971 | Harvard (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1971–1972 | Los Angeles Lakers (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1972–1973 | San Diego Conquistadors | ||||||||||||||
| 1973–1976 | Capital / Washington Bullets | ||||||||||||||
| 1976–1977 | Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1978–1983 | Boston Celtics (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1983–1988 | Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Seattle SuperSonics (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | Seattle SuperSonics | ||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Detroit Pistons (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Boston Celtics (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | New England Blizzard | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
As player:
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
| |||||||||||||||
| Career playing statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 5,011 (7.4 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 2,399 (3.5 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 2,908 (4.3 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
| Career coaching record | |||||||||||||||
| ABA & NBA | 552–306 (.643) | ||||||||||||||
| Record atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
K.C. Jones Jr. (May 25, 1932 – December 25, 2020) was an American professionalbasketball player and coach. He is best known for his association with theBoston Celtics of theNational Basketball Association (NBA), with whom he won 11 of his 12NBA championships (eight as a player, two as an assistant coach, and two as a head coach).[1] As a player, he is tied for third formost NBA championships in a career, and is one of three NBA players with an 8–0 record in NBA Finals series.[2] He is the only African-American coach other thanBill Russell to have won multiple NBA championships,[3][4] and one of eight players to ever achieve thebasketball Triple Crown. Jones was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.
Jones was born inTaylor, Texas, as the oldest of six children.[5] The initials "K.C." were his given name;[6] he inherited the same name as his father, a factory worker and cook,[7] who himself was named after the fabled railroad engineerCasey Jones.[8] When Jones was aged nine, his parents divorced and he moved toSan Francisco, California, with his mother and two siblings.[7] He learned to play basketball on a patch of gravel.[6]
Jones attended Commerce High School in San Francisco where he played basketball andfootball.[6] He considered himself to be a better football player than a basketball player in high school.[9]
Jones playedcollege basketball at theUniversity of San Francisco and, along withBill Russell, guided theDons toNCAA championships in 1955 and 1956.[10] During their time with the Dons, Russell and Jones led the team to a then-record 55-game win streak[11] (including an undefeated 29–0 record during the1955–56 season) and helped pioneer a play that later became known as thealley-oop.[12][13]
Jones also played with Russell onthe United States national team which won the gold medal at the1956 Olympic Games inMelbourne, Australia, while defeating their opponents by an unsurpassed average margin of 53.5 points per game.[14]
Jones served two years in theUnited States Army from 1956 to 1958.[15]
In July 1958, Jones tried out for theLos Angeles Rams of theNational Football League (NFL);[9] the Rams had drafted him in the 30th round of the1955 NFL draft.[16] He decided to try for a football career because he did not know if he had the ability to make it as a professional basketball player.[15] Jones had not played a full season of football since his senior year at Commerce High School and only played in one regulation game afterwards during his stint in the army.[9] Jones planned to report to the Boston Celtics in September if he failed to make the Rams.[9] Playing as a defensivehalfback, he was considered a likely candidate to make the team after preseason performances against theWashington Redskins andNew York Giants.[16] On September 2, 1958, Jones decided that he wanted to play for the Celtics and left the Rams.[16]
During his playing days, he was known as a tenacious defender. Jones spent all of his nine seasons in theNBA with theBoston Celtics, being part ofeight championship teams from 1959 to 1966, retiring after the Celtics' loss to thePhiladelphia 76ers in the 1967 Eastern Division finals. He was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.[17]
Jones is one of only eight players in basketball history to achieve thebasketball Triple Crown — winning an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal,[18][19][20] joiningBill Russell,Magic Johnson,Michael Jordan,Jerry Lucas,Clyde Lovellette,Quinn Buckner, andAnthony Davis. In NBA history, only his former teammates Russell (11 championships) andSam Jones (10) have won more championships during their playing careers.[21]
Jones began his coaching career atBrandeis University, serving as its head coach from 1967 to 1970. He served as an assistant coach atHarvard University from 1970 to 1971.[22] Jones then reunited with former teammateBill Sharman as the assistant coach for the 1971–72 NBA championLos Angeles Lakers. During that season, the team won a record 33 straight games. He became the first-ever head coach of theABA'sSan Diego Conquistadors on August 8, 1972.[23]
One week after Jones' only season with the Conquistadors ended with his resignation, he returned to the NBA and agreed with theBaltimore Bullets, who were in the process of relocating toWashington, D.C., to take over forGene Shue as head coach for the soon-to-be-renamedCapital Bullets on June 18, 1973; the team would add Washington to its name beginning in 1974.[24] 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 theGolden State Warriors in the1975 NBA Finals and a seven-game loss to theCleveland Cavaliers in theEastern Conference semifinals the following year resulted in Jones' contract not being renewed on May 7, 1976.[25] He was replaced byDick Motta three weeks later on May 28, 1976.[26]
In 1983, Jones took over as head coach of the Boston Celtics, replacingBill Fitch. Jones guided theLarry Bird-led Celtics to championships in 1984 and 1986.[27] Also in 1986, Jones led the Eastern squad in the1986 NBA All-Star Game inDallas at theReunion Arena, beating the Western squad 139–132. The Celtics won theAtlantic 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 coachJimmy Rodgers.[28] Jones spent one season in the Celtics' front office in 1988–89, then resigned to join theSeattle SuperSonics as an assistant coach and basketball consultant for the 1989–90 season.[29] He served as head coach of the Sonics in 1990–91 and 1991–92.[30]
In 1994, Jones joined theDetroit 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.[31] Jones was also considered to once again coach the Celtics during the off-season in 1995.[32] In 1996, Jones returned to the Boston Celtics, this time as an assistant coach for one season.[33]
Jones returned to the professional coaching ranks in 1997, guiding theNew England Blizzard of the fledgling women'sAmerican Basketball League (1996–1998) through its last1+1⁄2 seasons of existence. The Blizzard made the playoffs in his second year as head coach, but they were summarily dispatched by theSan Jose Lasers.[34]
Jones married Beverly Cain – the sister of his Olympic teammateCarl Cain – in 1959;[5] they had five children together before they divorced.[35] He had a sixth child with his second wife, Ellen.[35] His son, Kipper, played as a guard atBentley College.[35] His daughter, Bryna, received a basketball and volleyball scholarship to attend theUniversity of Hawaii.[36]
Jones died on December 25, 2020, at an assisted living center in Connecticut, aged 88. He hadAlzheimer's disease.[37][38]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
Source:[39]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958–59† | Boston | 49 | 12.4 | .339 | .603 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| 1959–60† | Boston | 74 | 17.2 | .408 | .753 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 6.3 |
| 1960–61† | Boston | 78 | 20.6 | .338 | .664 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 7.6 |
| 1961–62† | Boston | 80 | 25.7 | .406 | .634 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 9.2 |
| 1962–63† | Boston | 79 | 24.6 | .389 | .633 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 7.2 |
| 1963–64† | Boston | 80 | 30.3 | .392 | .524 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 8.2 |
| 1964–65† | Boston | 78 | 31.2 | .396 | .630 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 8.3 |
| 1965–66† | Boston | 80 | 33.9 | .388 | .690 | 3.8 | 6.3 | 8.6 |
| 1966–67 | Boston | 78 | 31.4 | .397 | .630 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 6.2 |
| Career | 676 | 25.9 | .387 | .647 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 7.4 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959† | Boston | 8 | 9.4 | .250 | 1.000 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.9 |
| 1960† | Boston | 13 | 17.8 | .338 | .773 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 5.5 |
| 1961† | Boston | 9 | 11.4 | .300 | .500 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
| 1962† | Boston | 14 | 23.5 | .431 | .717 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 9.0 |
| 1963† | Boston | 13 | 19.6 | .297 | .700 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 4.5 |
| 1964† | Boston | 10 | 31.2 | .347 | .520 | 3.7 | 6.8 | 6.3 |
| 1965† | Boston | 12 | 33.0 | .413 | .778 | 3.3 | 6.2 | 10.1 |
| 1966† | Boston | 17 | 31.9 | .413 | .684 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 7.6 |
| 1967 | Boston | 9 | 28.2 | .320 | .611 | 2.7 | 5.3 | 6.6 |
| Career | 105 | 23.8 | .367 | .691 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 6.4 | |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Source:[40]
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego (ABA) | 1972–73 | 84 | 30 | 54 | .357 | 4th in Western | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | Lost inDivision semifinals |
| Capital | 1973–74 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 1st in Central | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost inConference semifinals |
| Washington | 1974–75 | 82 | 60 | 22 | .732 | 1st in Central | 17 | 8 | 9 | .471 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Washington | 1975–76 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2nd in Central | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost inConference semifinals |
| Boston | 1983–84 | 82 | 62 | 20 | .756 | 1st in Atlantic | 23 | 15 | 8 | .652 | WonNBA Championship |
| Boston | 1984–85 | 82 | 63 | 19 | .768 | 1st in Atlantic | 21 | 13 | 8 | .619 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Boston | 1985–86 | 82 | 67 | 15 | .817 | 1st in Atlantic | 18 | 15 | 3 | .833 | WonNBA Championship |
| Boston | 1986–87 | 82 | 59 | 23 | .720 | 1st in Atlantic | 23 | 13 | 10 | .565 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Boston | 1987–88 | 82 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1st in Atlantic | 17 | 9 | 8 | .529 | Lost inConference finals |
| Seattle | 1990–91 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 5th in Pacific | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost inFirst round |
| Seattle | 1991–92 | 36 | 18 | 18 | .500 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| NBA career | 774 | 522 | 252 | .674 | 138 | 81 | 57 | .587 | — | ||
| ABA career | 80 | 30 | 54 | .357 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | |||
| Total career | 858 | 552 | 306 | .643 | 142 | 81 | 61 | .570 |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) 02 January 2019
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