Sam Jones (basketball, born 1933)
New Orleans Jazz (assistant) | |
Career highlights and awards | |
---|---|
| |
Career statistics | |
Points | 15,411 (17.7 ppg) |
Rebounds | 4,305 (4.9 rpg) |
Assists | 2,209 (2.5 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
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
Early life
Jones was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina, on June 24, 1933.[1][2][3] He attended Laurinburg Institute.[3][4]
College career
He studied and played college basketball at
Jones was originally drafted by the
Professional career
Boston Celtics (1957–1969)
Boston Celtics
Jones made his NBA debut on October 22, 1957,
Jones was one of only six Boston Celtics to have ever scored 50 points in an NBA game.[8] At the time of his death in 2021, he owned Boston's sixth-best single-game scoring output (51 points vs. Detroit Pistons on October 29, 1965).[8][11] 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.[12] 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.[3] He was the franchise's career scoring leader at the time of his retirement in 1969.[2]
Coaching career
After retiring from basketball, Jones coached at
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 guards of his generation.[2] 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.[2][3]
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
Jones led Boston in scoring five times,[6] and he averaged 20 points or better in four consecutive seasons (1965–1968).[3] He scored 2,909 points in 154 playoff games (18.89 PPG),[3] 92nd best in history as of the 2021 postseason.[17]
Honors
Jones was inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1962.[18] Seven years later, he was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame[7]—the first African-American thus honored.[19] Jones was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.[3] He was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team (1971), as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996), and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021).[19] He was part of the inaugural class inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.[20] 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.[21]
Personal life
Jones was married to Gladys Chavis until her death in 2018. Together, they had five children.[2] 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.[22] He resided in St. Augustine, Florida, in retirement.[23]
Jones died on the evening of December 30, 2021, in Boca Raton, Florida.[24] He was 88 years old.[2][25]
NBA career statistics
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 an NBA championship |
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 | |
Source:[3] |
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
References
- ^ Staton, John (December 31, 2021). "Wilmington native and NBA legend Sam Jones, aka 'Mr. Clutch,' dies at 88". Wilmington Star-News.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Goldstein, Richard (December 31, 2021). "Sam Jones, Sharpshooting Celtics Star of the 1960s, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Sam Jones Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ISBN 9781491785256.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link - ^ JONES, SAMUEL "SAM" • 123
- ^ a b "Sam Jones, NCCU legend and NBA Hall of Famer, dies at age 88". WTVD. December 31, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Sam Jones 1969". North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c Karalis, John (December 31, 2021). "Boston Celtics legend Sam Jones dies at 88". Boston Sports Journal. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "1957 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "October 22, 1957 Boston Celtics at St. Louis Hawks Box Score". Basketball-Reference. October 22, 1957. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons Box Score, October 29, 1965". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ "Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics Box Score, April 28, 1966". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- ^ JONES, SAMUEL "SAM" • 183
- ^ Connolly, John (June 22, 2009). "Sam Jones adds to legend". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Walsh, George (March 20, 1961). "Jones and Jones At Court". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Watanabe, Ben (January 1, 2022). "Sam Jones' Straightforward Greatness Made Even Bill Russell Marvel". NESN. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "NBA & ABA Career Playoff Leaders and Records for Points Per Game". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ISBN 9780892042272.
- ^ a b McGregor, Gilbert (December 31, 2021). "Hall of Famer and Celtics legend Sam Jones dies at age 88". NESN. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Hunter, Branden (September 16, 2019). "Inaugural American Basketball Hall of Fame launches in Detroit". Michigan Chronicle. Detroit. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Why the Celtics are wearing a black No. 24 band on their jerseys". April 27, 2022.
- ^ Merida, Kevin (December 5, 1998). "A WHOLE NOTHER BALLGAME: CELTICS GREAT SAM JONES REFLECTS ON THE NEW NBA". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ Burt, Bill (April 8, 2012). "Yes they can!: Ex-Celts great Sam Jones says current Celts can go out champions, too". The Eagle-Tribune. North Andover, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Feinstein, John (January 1, 2022). "Sam Jones, a core member of the great 1960s Celtics, was a great shooter. And a lot more". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Celtics Legend Sam Jones Dies At Age 88". December 31, 2021.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Sam Jones—Hoophall Biography