Jo Jo White facts for kids
White in 2008
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | November 16, 1946 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Died | January 16, 2018 (aged 71) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| High school | McKinley (St. Louis, Missouri) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 197 lb (89 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Kansas (1965–1969) | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1969 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1969–1981 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1969–1979 | Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1980 | Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1981 | Kansas City Kings | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 14,399 (17.2 ppg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 3,345 (4.0 rpg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 4,095 (4.9 apg) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Joseph Henry White (born November 16, 1946 – died January 16, 2018), known as Jo Jo White, was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Kansas, where he was named an All-American twice. White also won a gold medal with the U.S. men's basketball team at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
In the 1969 NBA draft, White was picked 9th overall by the Boston Celtics. He played for the Celtics for ten seasons, helping them win the NBA Finals in 1974 and 1976. He was named the Finals MVP in 1976. White was a seven-time NBA All-Star and set a Celtics record by playing 488 games in a row. His No. 10 jersey was retired by the Celtics in 1982. In 2015, he was honored by being added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Contents
Jo Jo White's Early Life and Amateur Career
White was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was a Baptist minister. Jo Jo was the youngest of seven children. He started playing basketball when he was six years old. Sports were very important in his community. As a child, he cheered for the St. Louis Hawks.
Playing College Basketball
Jo Jo White was able to start playing college basketball at the University of Kansas a semester early. His teammates welcomed him to the team.
White joined the team in the middle of the season and quickly became successful. They played well in the NCAA tournament. They faced a strong team, Texas Western (now known as University of Texas at El Paso), in the regional final. In the first overtime, White made a long shot as the buzzer sounded, but the referee said he was out of bounds. His team lost the exciting game in the second overtime. Texas Western went on to win the championship. This famous game was shown in the 2006 movie Glory Road.
White became a key player for his college team. He was named to the NCAA All-American Second Team in 1968 and 1969. He also made the All-Big Eight team for three years (1967–1969). He earned a degree in physical education.
Winning Olympic Gold
After college, White played for the 1968 USA Olympic basketball team in Mexico City. Many people did not expect this team to win the gold medal. Some famous players chose not to play, and others were not picked.
However, the U.S. men's team, led by White and Spencer Haywood, played perfectly, winning all nine of their games. They beat Yugoslavia 65–50 in the final game to win the gold medal. This was the last of seven gold medals in a row for the U.S. men's team at the Olympics.
Jo Jo White's Professional Basketball Career
After the Olympics, White was chosen by the NBA's Boston Celtics in the 1969 NBA draft. He was the 9th player picked overall. At that time, the Celtics had just won their 11th championship in 13 years. White had a two-year commitment to the U.S. Marine Corps, but the Celtics' general manager, Red Auerbach, helped shorten it so White could play in the 1969–70 NBA season.
Before White even joined the team, the Celtics' star player and coach, Bill Russell, retired. Another long-time player, Sam Jones, also ended his career. White had to step up and help fill their roles. The Celtics had a losing season (34–48) in White's first year, which was their first losing season since 1950. White was named to the All-NBA rookie team in 1970.
The Celtics improved by drafting Dave Cowens, trading for Paul Silas, keeping veteran John Havlicek, and hiring coach Tommy Heinsohn. With White leading as the point guard, the team started winning again in 1971. He was an All-Star for seven years in a row, from 1971 to 1977. He was often among the top ten players in the league for assists.
In 1974, White and the Celtics reached the 1974 NBA Finals. They played against the Milwaukee Bucks, who had star players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. White helped lead the Celtics to their first championship since the Russell era. The next season, White played the most minutes for the Celtics, who finished first in their division with a 60–22 record.
In 1976, White was part of a very strong Celtics team. During the playoffs, White led the Celtics to another NBA championship. He was a star player in what is often called "the greatest game ever played" in NBA history. In Game 5 of those finals, which went into triple overtime against the Phoenix Suns, White scored 33 points and had 9 assists. He played 60 minutes in the Celtics' 128–126 win. White was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1976 NBA Finals.
White became known as one of professional basketball's first "iron men" because he played in every game for five seasons in a row during the 1970s. He set a team record by playing 488 games without missing one. White got injured during the 1977–78 season. After his injury, White and the older Celtics team were not as strong.
White was traded by the Celtics to the Golden State Warriors in the middle of the 1978–79 NBA season. He retired as a player in 1981 after playing for the Kansas City Kings. He later returned to the Kansas Jayhawks as an assistant coach in 1982–83.
Jo Jo White's Lasting Legacy
On April 9, 1982, Jo Jo White's number 10 jersey was hung from the rafters at the Boston Garden. This means his number was retired, and no other Celtics player can wear it. He was among the top 100 players in the NBA for career points, assists, and other stats. He was also named to the All-NBA Second Team in the 1974–75 and 1976–77 seasons. At the time of his death, White worked for the Celtics in community relations.
In 1991, White was added to the Missouri Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. His jersey was retired by the Kansas Jayhawks in 2003. He joined the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
White was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2015. He was inducted along with his former coach, Tom Heinsohn. Other Celtics legends, John Havlicek and Dave Cowens, introduced him at the ceremony. Many people felt that White should have been in the Hall of Fame much earlier.
Personal Life and Later Years
Jo Jo White was married twice. He had a cousin named Chris Chambliss, who was a Major League Baseball player.
In 2010, White had surgery to remove a tumor from his brain. To help him remember things during his recovery, his attorney wrote a book about his life called Make it Count, which came out in 2012. In September 2012, White started the Jo Jo White Foundation to support research for brain cancer. He also led the Jo Jo White Growth League, a basketball program for middle school children, starting in 1994.
White passed away in Boston on January 16, 2018. He died from complications related to his brain tumor, specifically pneumonia. The Boston Celtics honored him by stitching a black stripe onto their jerseys for the rest of the 2017–18 season.
Career Statistics
NBA
| 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 | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–70 | Boston | 60 | – | 22.1 | .452 | – | .822 | 2.8 | 2.4 | – | – | 12.2 |
| 1970–71 | Boston | 75 | – | 37.2 | .464 | – | .799 | 5.0 | 4.8 | – | – | 21.3 |
| 1971–72 | Boston | 79 | – | 41.3 | .431 | – | .831 | 5.6 | 5.3 | – | – | 23.1 |
| 1972–73 | Boston | 82* | – | 39.6 | .431 | – | .781 | 5.0 | 6.1 | – | – | 19.7 |
| 1973–74† | Boston | 82* | – | 39.5 | .449 | – | .837 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 18.1 |
| 1974–75 | Boston | 82 | – | 39.3 | .457 | – | .834 | 3.8 | 5.6 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 18.3 |
| 1975–76† | Boston | 82 | – | 39.7 | .449 | – | .838 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 18.9 |
| 1976–77 | Boston | 82 | – | 40.6 | .429 | – | .869 | 4.7 | 6.0 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 19.6 |
| 1977–78 | Boston | 46 | – | 35.7 | .419 | – | .858 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 14.8 |
| 1978–79 | Boston | 47 | – | 31.0 | .428 | – | .888 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 12.5 |
| 1978–79 | Golden State | 29 | – | 30.4 | .475 | – | .870 | 2.5 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 12.3 |
| 1979–80 | Golden State | 78 | – | 26.3 | .476 | .167 | .851 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 9.9 |
| 1980–81 | Kansas City | 13 | – | 18.2 | .439 | – | .611 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 6.4 |
| Career | 837 | – | 35.8 | .444 | .167 | .834 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 17.2 | |
| All-Star | 7 | 0 | 17.7 | .483 | – | .545 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 9.1 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Boston | 11 | – | 39.3 | .495 | – | .833 | 5.4 | 5.3 | – | – | 23.5 |
| 1973 | Boston | 13 | – | 44.8 | .450 | – | .907 | 4.2 | 6.4 | – | – | 24.5 |
| 1974† | Boston | 18 | – | 42.5 | .426 | – | .739 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 16.6 |
| 1975 | Boston | 11 | – | 42.0 | .441 | – | .818 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 20.6 |
| 1976† | Boston | 18 | – | 43.9 | .445 | – | .821 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 22.7 |
| 1977 | Boston | 9 | – | 43.9 | .453 | – | .848 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 23.3 |
| Career | 80 | – | 42.9 | .449 | – | .828 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 21.5 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965–66 | Kansas | 9 | — | — | .393 | — | .538 | 7.6 | — | — | — | 11.3 |
| 1966–67 | Kansas | 27 | — | — | .409 | .819 | 5.6 | — | — | — | 14.8 | |
| 1967–68 | Kansas | 30 | — | — | .407 | — | .722 | 3.6 | — | — | — | 15.3 |
| 1968–69 | Kansas | 18 | — | — | .469 | — | .734 | 4.7 | — | — | — | 18.1 |
| Career | 84 | — | — | .420 | — | .733 | 4.9 | — | — | — | 15.3 | |
See also
In Spanish: Jo Jo White para niños
