22 Facts About KC Jones

1.

KC Jones is best known for his association with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association, with whom he won 11 of his 12 NBA championships.

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2.

KC Jones is the only African-American coach other than Bill Russell to have won multiple NBA championships.

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3.

KC Jones was born in Taylor, Texas, as the oldest of six children.

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4.

When KC Jones was aged nine, his parents divorced and he moved to San Francisco, California, with his mother and two siblings.

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5.

KC Jones attended Commerce High School in San Francisco where he played basketball and football.

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6.

KC Jones played college basketball at the University of San Francisco and, along with Bill Russell, guided the Dons to NCAA championships in 1955 and 1956.

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7.

KC Jones played with Russell on the United States national team which won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, while defeating their opponents by an unsurpassed average margin of 53.

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8.

KC Jones spent all of his nine seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, being part of eight championship teams from 1959 to 1966, retiring after the Celtics' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1967 Eastern Division Finals.

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9.

KC Jones was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.

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10.

KC Jones is one of only eight players in basketball history to have won an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal, joining Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Jerry Lucas, Clyde Lovellette, Quinn Buckner, and Anthony Davis.

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11.

In NBA history, only his former teammates Russell and Sam KC Jones have won more championships during their playing careers.

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12.

KC Jones began his coaching career at Brandeis University, serving as its head coach from 1967 to 1970.

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13.

KC Jones served as an assistant coach at Harvard University from 1970 to 1971.

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14.

KC Jones became the first-ever head coach of the ABA's San Diego Conquistadors on August 8,1972.

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15.

In 1983, KC Jones took over as head coach of the Boston Celtics, replacing Bill Fitch.

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16.

KC Jones guided the Larry Bird-led Celtics to championships in 1984 and 1986.

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17.

In 1994, KC Jones joined the Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach for one season.

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18.

KC Jones was considered to coach the Celtics during the off-season in 1995.

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19.

In 1996, KC Jones returned to the Boston Celtics, this time as an assistant coach for one season.

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20.

KC Jones returned to the professional coaching ranks in 1997, guiding the New England Blizzard of the fledgling women's American Basketball League through its last.

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21.

KC Jones married Beverly Cain – the sister of his Olympic teammate Carl Cain – in 1959; they had five children together before they divorced.

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22.

KC Jones died on December 25,2020, at an assisted living center in Connecticut, aged 88.

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