[ad_1]
American basketball legend KC Jones, who won gold at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics with the United States, has passed away at the age of 88.
Jones leaves behind a legacy of greatness, having won 12 National Basketball Association (NBA) championships as a player and coach, as well as two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles.
He is one of eight players to win the basketball “Triple Crown” for a title in the NBA, NCAA and the Olympics.
The United States won 89-55 in the Olympic final against the Soviet Union to win the gold medal.
Jones passed away yesterday, as announced by the Boston Celtics, where he spent his entire playing career from 1958 to 1967, winning eight NBA titles there.
As a coach, he won the NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Celtics as an assistant, before winning two as the Celtics’ head coach in 1984 and 1986.
He died in an assisted living care home in Connecticut, United States.
RIP KC Jones, the ONLY man to win Olympic gold, multiple NCAA titles; and multiple NBA titles as a player, assistant. coach AND head coach.
Jones revolutionized sports, but not the one you’re thinking of.
He’s the reason the NFL plays the way it plays
A thread:
– michaelharriot (@michaelharriot) December 26, 2020
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was one of those who paid tribute to the late player.
“KC Jones was one of the most decorated champions in the history of our game,” Silver said.
“KC’s extraordinary achievements and impact will be long remembered.”
His fellow Celtics legend Tommy Heinsohn, who played on the same team as Jones and also won two championships with the team as head coach, passed away in November at age 86.
Billy Evans, who was also part of the 1956 Olympic squad that won gold, died a few weeks ago, also at the age of 88.
In four of the five seasons that Jones was the Celtics’ head coach, he led them to the NBA Finals and is considered one of the best coaches in the franchise.
Only Chicago Bulls and Lakers head coach Phil Jackson and former Celtics head coach Red Auerbach have won more titles than Jones.
Jackson won two titles as a player and 11 as a coach, while Auerbach won nine as a coach and seven as an executive.
[ad_2]
