Sam Jones (basketball, born 1933)

For the basketball player and coach born in 1978, see Sam Jones (basketball, born 1978).

For other uses, see Samuel Jones (disambiguation).

Sam Jones

File:Sam Jones, Boston Celtics, 1969.jpg Jones playing for the Celtics in 1969
Personal information
Born	(1933-06-24)June 24, 1933 Wilmington, North Carolina
Died
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school	Laurinburg Institute (Laurinburg, North Carolina)
College	North Carolina Central (1951–1954, 1956–1957)
NBA draft	1957 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career	1957–1969
Position	Shooting guard
Number	24
Coaching career	1974–1975
Career history
As player:
1957–1969	Boston Celtics
As coach:
1974–1975	New Orleans Jazz (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
10× NBA champion (1959–1966, 1968, 1969) 5× NBA All-Star (1962, 1964–1966, 1968) 3× All-NBA Second Team (1965–1967) NBA 25th Anniversary Team NBA 50th Anniversary Team NBA 75th Anniversary Team No. 24 retired by Boston Celtics
Career statistics
Points	15,411 (17.7 ppg)
Rebounds	4,305 (4.9 rpg)
Assists	2,209 (2.5 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006

Samuel Jones (June 24, 1933 – December 30, 2021) was an American professional basketball player and shooting guard. During his playing career, he was known for his quickness and game-winning shots, especially during the NBA playoffs. He has the second most NBA championships of any player (10), behind his teammate Bill Russell (11). He was also one of only three Boston Celtics (along with teammates Bill Russell and K. C. Jones) to be part of the Celtics' eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame on Oct 13, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan.

College career

Jones attended and graduated from 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, which is still second in school history. He was a three-time All-CIAA league selection. His jersey, no. 41, is retired and hangs in the Eagles' arena.

NBA career

Jones was 6-foot-4 (1.93 m) and weighed 200 lb (90 kg). Boston Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach took a trip south to scout North Carolina 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, in the 1957 NBA draft, the Philadelphia Warriors selected North Carolina's Lennie Rosenbluth with the sixth pick. Boston selected Jones two picks later, even though Auerbach had never seen Jones play.

Jones was originally claimed by the Minneapolis Lakers, but he returned to college to earn his degree upon completion of military service, and therefore voided the Lakers' rights to him under NBA rules.

In his 11th career game, Jones recorded 15 points and 5 rebounds in a 109-118 loss to the Syracuse Nationals.

As of April 10, 2021, Jones owns Boston's sixth-best single-game scoring output (51 points vs. Detroit Pistons on October 29, 1965).

Jones recorded 22 points and 5 rebounds in Game 7 of the 1966 NBA Finals as the Celtics won their eighth straight NBA Finals.

Player profile

Jones played all of his 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association NBA with the Celtics. He was known as a clutch scorer, with more than 15,000 points in his career. 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, in which the shooter bounces the ball off the backboard en route to the basket. Many coaches, including UCLA'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.

He led Boston in scoring in the 1962–63 NBA season (19.7 points per game), 1964–65 NBA season (25.9), and 1965–66 NBA season (23.5). He produced four consecutive seasons averaging 20 points or better (1965–68). He scored 2,909 points in 154 playoff games (18.9 ppg), 30th best in history after the 2020 postseason.

Honors

In 1962, Jones was inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame. 1969, Jones 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 in 1984. He was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team, as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. He was inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

Personal life and death

After retiring from basketball, Jones coached at Federal City College from 1969–73 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. He lived for several decades in Silver Spring, Maryland, during which time he often served as a substitute teacher in the Montgomery County public school system.

In retirement Jones resided in St. Augustine, Florida. In 2013, he gave an inspirational talk to players for North Carolina Central after the Eagles played a game in Florida.

Jones died of natural causes on December 30, 2021, at the age of 88.

NBA career statistics

Legend
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

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1957–58	Boston	56	10.6	.429	.714	2.9	0.7	4.6
1958–59†	Boston	71	20.6	.434	.770	6.0	1.4	10.7
1959–60†	Boston	74	20.4	.454	.764	5.1	1.7	11.9
1960–61†	Boston	78	26.0	.449	.787	5.4	2.8	15.0
1961–62†	Boston	78	30.6	.464	.818	5.9	3.0	18.4
1962–63†	Boston	76	30.6	.476	.793	5.2	3.2	19.7
1963–64†	Boston	76	31.3	.450	.783	4.6	2.7	19.4
1964–65†	Boston	80	36.1	.452	.820	5.1	2.8	25.9
1965–66†	Boston	67	32.2	.469	.799	5.2	3.2	23.5
1966–67	Boston	72	32.3	.454	.857	4.7	3.0	22.1
1967–68†	Boston	73	33.0	.461	.827	4.9	3.0	21.3
1968–69†	Boston	70	26.0	.450	.783	3.8	2.6	16.3
Career		871	27.9	.456	.803	4.9	2.5	17.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1958	Boston	8	9.4	.455	.688	3.0	0.5	3.9
1959†	Boston	11	17.5	.370	.846	5.7	1.5	10.3
1960†	Boston	13	15.2	.385	.810	3.2	1.4	8.2
1961†	Boston	10	25.8	.446	.886	5.4	2.2	13.1
1962†	Boston	14	36.0	.444	.700	7.1	3.1	20.6
1963†	Boston	13	34.6	.484	.831	6.2	2.5	23.8
1964†	Boston	10	35.6	.506	.735	4.7	2.3	23.2
1965†	Boston	12	41.3	.459	.869	4.6	2.5	28.6
1966†	Boston	17	35.4	.449	.838	5.1	3.1	24.8
1967	Boston	9	36.2	.459	.862	5.1	3.1	26.7
1968†	Boston	19	36.1	.441	.786	3.4	2.6	20.5
1969†	Boston	18	28.6	.419	.797	3.2	2.1	16.8
Career		154	30.2	.447	.811	4.7	2.3	18.9

See also

• List of National Basketball Association players with 50 or more points in a playoff game
• List of NBA players with most championships
• List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise

External links

• Sam Jones - Hoophall Biography
• Hoopedia bio
• Sam Jones Statistics

1. REDIRECT Template:Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame members