K. C. Jones facts for kids
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Jones with the Boston Celtics in 1960
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | May 25, 1932 Taylor, Texas, U.S. |
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| Died | December 25, 2020 (aged 88) Connecticut, U.S. |
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| High school | Commerce (San Francisco, California) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | San Francisco (1952–1956) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1956 / Round: 2 / Pick: 13th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1958–1967 | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 1967–1998 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 1958–1967 | Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 1967–1970 | Brandeis | |||||||||||||
| 1970–1971 | Harvard (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1971–1972 | Los Angeles Lakers (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1972–1973 | San Diego Conquistadors | |||||||||||||
| 1973–1976 | Capital / Washington Bullets | |||||||||||||
| 1976–1977 | Milwaukee Bucks (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1978–1983 | Boston Celtics (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1983–1988 | Boston Celtics | |||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Seattle SuperSonics (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1990–1992 | Seattle SuperSonics | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Detroit Pistons (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Boston Celtics (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | New England Blizzard | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
As player:
As assistant coach:
As coach:
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| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 5,011 (7.4 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 2,399 (3.5 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 2,908 (4.3 apg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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K. C. Jones (May 25, 1932 – December 25, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is famous for his time with the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an amazing 11 NBA championships with them. Eight of these were as a player, one as an assistant coach, and two as a head coach.
As a player, he is tied for third place for the most NBA championships ever. He is also one of only three NBA players who won every NBA Finals series they played in (8-0 record). K. C. Jones is the only African-American coach besides Bill Russell to win multiple NBA championships. He was honored by being added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Beginnings
Jones was born in Taylor, Texas. He was the oldest of six children. His unique name, "K. C.", was his actual first name, just like his father. When he was nine, his parents separated. He then moved to San Francisco, California, with his mother and two siblings. He first learned to play basketball on a rough patch of gravel.
Jones went to Commerce High School in San Francisco. There, he played both basketball and football.
Playing Career Highlights
K. C. Jones played college basketball at the University of San Francisco. With his teammate Bill Russell, he led the Dons to win two NCAA championships. These wins happened in 1955 and 1956. During their time, the Dons had a record-breaking 55-game winning streak. This included a perfect 29–0 season in 1955–56. They also helped create a basketball move called the alley-oop.
Jones also played with Russell on the United States national team. They won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. Their team won by a huge average of 53.5 points per game.
After college, Jones thought about playing NFL football. He even tried out for a team but did not make it. He then focused on basketball. Jones played all nine of his NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics. He was a key part of eight championship teams from 1959 to 1966. He retired after the Celtics lost in the 1967 playoffs.
Jones is one of only eight players in basketball history to win an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. This is a very rare achievement! Only his former teammates Bill Russell (11 championships) and Sam Jones (10) won more NBA championships as players.
Coaching Success and Teams
Jones started his coaching career at Brandeis University from 1967 to 1970. He then became an assistant coach at Harvard University from 1970 to 1971. Jones later joined his former teammate Bill Sharman as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. In the 1971–72 season, the Lakers won the NBA championship. That team also set a record with 33 straight wins.
He became the first head coach for the ABA's San Diego Conquistadors in 1972. After one season, he became the head coach for the Capital / Washington Bullets in 1973. During his three years there, the Bullets had a strong record. They reached the 1975 NBA Finals but lost.
In 1983, Jones became the head coach of the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics. He guided the Celtics to two NBA championships in 1984 and 1986. The Celtics won their division in all five of his seasons as head coach. They also reached the NBA Finals in four of those five years. Jones retired as head coach after the 1987–88 season. He later served as an assistant coach and head coach for the Seattle SuperSonics. He also worked as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons and returned to the Boston Celtics as an assistant.
In 1997, Jones coached the New England Blizzard, a women's basketball team in the American Basketball League.
Personal Life and Legacy
Jones married Beverly Cain in 1959. She was the sister of his Olympic teammate Carl Cain. They had five children together before they divorced. He later had a sixth child after remarrying Ellen. His son, Kipper, played basketball at Bentley College. His daughter, Bryna, received scholarships for basketball and volleyball at the University of Hawaii.
K. C. Jones passed away on December 25, 2020, at the age of 88. He had Alzheimer's disease.
Awards and Honors
- Two-time NCAA Champion (as a player)
- 1956 Olympic Gold Medal winner (as a player)
- 12-time NBA Champion (eight as a player, two as a head coach, two as an assistant coach)
- Achieved the "Triple Crown" (NCAA, NBA, and Olympic champion)
- Five-time NBA All-Star Game head coach
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989
- Inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006
- Inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986 (as part of the 1956 U.S. men's basketball team)
- Received the 2016 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award
See also
In Spanish: K. C. Jones para niños
- List of NBA players with most championships
