KC Jones, who was a big winner as a player and coach for the Boston Celtics during a career in the Hall of Fame, passed away on Friday, the Celtics confirmed. He was 88 years old.
KC was Jones’ first name, although some joked that “C” was the championship. It was easy to see why.
He played nine seasons in the NBA, all with the Celtics, and won titles in eight of them, the third most in league history, behind only teammates Bill Russell (11) and Sam Jones (10). Success was transferred to his coaching days, when he won three titles (one as an assistant, two as head coach) during the successful Boston series of the 1980s, with Larry Bird and company.
Jones also won an assistant coaching title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972.
Jones was not bright and his playing days were not full of brilliant statistics; he averaged just 7.4 points in his career. But the 6-foot-1 goalkeeper was the perfect team player whose defense gave rival stars like Jerry West and Oscar Robertson headaches and whose game made the Celtics engine work.
“I just didn’t see how a man who shot so badly as KC could stay in the NBA,” recalled Bob Cousy, the famous Celtic goalkeeper that Jones initially approved and then replaced as head coach when “Cooz” retired in 1963. “I really didn’t think his other skills would be enough to keep him in the league. But I was wrong. He proved to be amazing in defense and eventually learned to score enough that the opposing teams cannot afford not to defend him. ” .
Jones was part of the Celtics team that won the title from 1959 to 1966, a series of eight years unmatched in professional sports. The only season he did not win a championship was 1966-67, and Jones, 34, soon retired.
But Jones remained in the game, first as a coach at Brandeis University outside of Boston and then as an assistant or head coach in the NBA or ABA before returning to the Celtics as Bill Fitch’s assistant in 1977. Fitch left the team four years later. later, and Jones replaced him, inheriting a group led by Bird and his renowned colleagues Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Three weeks after Jones took over, the Celtics made a move to acquire Dennis Johnson.
Together they reached the NBA Finals for four consecutive seasons (1984-87), winning titles in 1984 and 1986. Some criticized Jones’ relaxed coaching style, but his players hailed him.
“He has our respect as a coach and as a person,” Bird once said.
Jones left the Celtics bench after the 1987 season and worked in the Celtics front office before ending his coaching career in Seattle and Detroit.
His number 25 is retired by the Celtics and was introduced in the Hall of Fame of professional basketball in 1989.
Originally from Texas, Jones took Russell to the University of San Francisco, winning NCAA titles back in 1955 and 1956. In the summer after the second title, the two led the U.S. team to a gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics. .
So far, Jones is just one of eight players to win NBA and college basketball titles as well as Olympic gold, along with Russell, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Jerry Lucas, Quinn Buckner, Clyde Lovellette and Anthony. Davis.