Joseph Henry White was an American basketball player.
32 Facts About Jo Jo White
2.
Jo Jo White was part of the US men's basketball team during the 1968 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal with the team.
3.
Jo Jo White started playing basketball at six and found sports to be a key platform for his community.
4.
Jo Jo White joined the team in mid-season, enjoyed immediate success, and entered the NCAA tournament.
5.
Jo Jo White became a leader of the team, and made the consensus NCAA All-American Second Team in 1968 and 1969.
6.
Jo Jo White made the All-Big Eight team the three subsequent years Due to his early enrollment, White had only one semester of eligibility and Head Coach Ted Owens opted to have White play for the 18 games in the first semester rather than eight in the second.
7.
Jo Jo White graduated with a degree in physical education.
8.
Jo Jo White later stated that his short stint helped him prepare for his first Celtics training camp,.
9.
However, before Jo Jo White even reported to training camp, the Celtics' center and player-coach Bill Russell announced his retirement and cut ties to the organization.
10.
The Celtic's long-time shooting guard Sam Jones ended his career, requiring Jo Jo White to replace those duties.
11.
Jo Jo White made the All-NBA rookie team during the 1970 season.
12.
In 1976, Jo Jo White was part of a dominant Celtics squad which featured 5 veterans averaging double-digit scoring.
13.
Jo Jo White was named the most valuable player of the 1976 NBA Finals.
14.
Jo Jo White went on to become one of professional basketball's first "iron men", playing in all 82 games for five consecutive seasons during the 1970s and setting a franchise record of 488 consecutive games played.
15.
Jo Jo White retired as a player after 1981 with the Kansas City Kings.
16.
In 1987 at the age of 41, Jo Jo White attempted a professional comeback as a player-assistant coach with the Topeka Sizzlers of the Continental Basketball Association.
17.
Jo Jo White was in the top 100 in the NBA for career total field goals made, field goals attempted, assists, free throw percentage, minutes per game, and defensive rating.
18.
Jo Jo White was director of special projects and community relations with the Celtics at the time of his death.
19.
In 1991 Jo Jo White was welcomed into the Missouri Hall of Fame.
20.
Jo Jo White was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
21.
Jo Jo White's jersey was retired by the Kansas Jayhawks in 2003.
22.
Jo Jo White was inducted in the Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame with the class of 2009.
23.
Jo Jo White joined the 2013 class of the St Louis Sports Hall of Fame.
24.
Jo Jo White was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class in September 2015.
25.
Jo Jo White was inducted alongside his former coach, Tom Heinsohn, and was formally introduced into the Hall by fellow Celtics John Havlicek and Dave Cowens.
26.
Previous to his induction in 2015, Jo Jo White's long exclusion from the Basketball Hall of Fame was a common topic when discussing players who have long been eligible but have not been inducted, with most writers believing his entry has been long delayed.
27.
Jo Jo White was married twice, secondly to Deborah White and previously to Estelle Bowser.
28.
In 1985, Jo Jo White moved to Rochester, NY where he owned and operated a couple of McDonald's restaurants until the early 1990s.
29.
In 2010, Jo Jo White underwent a procedure to remove a tumor on the back of his brain.
30.
Jo Jo White really is a cool dude and a great human being.
31.
Jo Jo White previously led the Jo Jo White Growth League for children in middle school starting in 1994.
32.
Jo Jo White died in Boston two months past his 71st birthday, from complications of his dementia, specifically pneumonia, which was brought on when he had a benign brain tumor removed.