The Boston Celtics family and NBA community has lost a beloved member.
Celtics legend and Hall of Fame guard Sam Jones died this week at age 88.
Author John Feinstein and ex-Celtics forward Cedric Maxwell both shared the news Friday morning on Twitter.
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Celtics head coach Ime Udoka also commented on Jones' passing before Boston's Friday afternoon game against the Phoenix Suns at TD Garden.
Jones was drafted by the Celtics in 1957 and played 12 seasons for Boston. He is one of the winningest players in NBA history. He won 10 championships with the Celtics and played a key role in the memorable 1969 NBA Finals triumph over the rival Los Angeles Lakers. His winning shot in Game 4 tied the series 2-2.
Boston ultimately forced a Game 7 in Los Angeles, where the Celtics captured their 11th title in what was both Jones and Bill Russell's final game.
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Winning a Game 7 was not unusual for Jones. He went 9-0 and averaged 27.1 points in Game 7s with the Celtics, including a 4-0 record in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
His No. 24 was retired by the Celtics in March of 1969. Some of Jones' other honors include five All-Star selections, being enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1984 and being named to the league's 50th anniversary team in 1997. He is one of six players in NBA, NHL, MLB and NFL history to win 10 or more championships.
Jones is, quite simply, one of the best players in Celtics history.
