Sam Jones: Born on This Day in 1933

Photo: Boston Celtics’ guard Sam Jones goes up for a layup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Photo credit: Dick Raphael, Getty Images.

June 24 marks the birthday of Boston Celtic legend Sam Jones. The Hall of Fame shooting guard would have been ninety-two years old today. 

Jones, a native North Carolinian, attended the Laurinburg Institute (Laurinburg, N.C.) for high school and played his college basketball at North Carolina Central, a historically black college and university in Durham, N.C. The current Eagles’ program is head coached by LeVelle Moton. His program was the subject of the 2021 ESPN documentary Why Not Us? 

At NC Central, Jones played for the legendary John McClendon and Floyd Brown. Jones scored 1,745 career points and made 668 field-goals in ninety-eight collegiate games as an Eagle and averaged 17.8 points per game. He was inducted into the school’s Alex M. Rivera Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984. 

Jones was drafted in the eighth round of the 1956 NBA Draft by the Minneapolis Lakers and eighth overall in the 1957 Draft by the Boston Celtics. In Boston, he joined a franchise that was coming off of their first championship victory, which was a seven-game series against the St. Louis Hawks. 

The 6 foot, 4 inch Jones averaged 10.7, 11.9, and 15.0 points per game in his second, third, and fourth seasons (he played just 10.6 minutes per game as a rookie). He did not see a jump in minutes and shot attempts until the 1961-62 season when he averaged 30.6 minutes per game compared to 26.0 minutes in 1960-61 and 16.5 shot attempts compared to 13.7 attempts in 1960-61. 

The increased opportunity for Jones culminated in an 18.4 point-per-game average on 46.4% shooting with 5.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He was an all-star for the first of five times in his career. 

Jones came up clutch in the playoffs, which he would do often throughout his career. In Game 5 of the 1962 Eastern Division Finals against the Philadelphia Warriors, he posted 23 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 assists in the 119-104 victory that gave the Celtics a 3-2 series’ lead. In the two-point Celtic win in Game 7 (109-107), Jones shot 12-of-29 for 28 points along with 7 rebounds. The Celtics moved onto the Finals, where they faced the Los Angeles Lakers who were led by superstars Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. 

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Notable Games for Sam Jones in 1962 NBA Finals (4-3 BOS) 

Game 1: 24 points, 11 rebounds, 10-of-19 FG, 4-of-4 FT, 38 mins 

Game 5: 26 points, 5 rebounds, 12-of-23 FG, 2-of-3 FT, 42 mins

Game 6: 35 points, 7 rebounds, 17-of-27 FG, 1-of-4 FT, 40 mins (Celtics tie series at 3-3) 

Game 7: 27 points, 8 rebounds, 12-of-31 FG, 3-of-4 FT, 47 mins 

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Jones’ 27 points helped the Celtics in the 110-107 overtime victory overcome 41 points from Baylor and 35 points from West. Bill Russell tallied 30 points and 40 rebounds in the game and Frank Ramsey scored 23. 

Over the next two seasons, Jones averaged 19.7 and 19.4 points per game on 47.6% and 45% from the field. He was an all-star again in 1964 after missing out in 1963, but it was the 1964-65 season where Jones had the best season of his career. 

At age 31, Jones for the 62-18 Celtics averaged 25.9 points on 45.2% shooting with a career-high 22.7 shot attempts. He played a career-high 36.1 minutes per game and suited up in a career-high eighty games. He also made All-NBA 2nd team and finished fourth in MVP voting. On October 29, 1965, Jones scored a career-high 51 points in a 108-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons at Cobo Arena. 

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Sam Jones High Scoring Games in the 1965 Playoffs 

Eastern Division Finals Game 2 vs. PHI: 40 points, 6 rebounds, 16-of-32 FG, 8-of-8 FT, 42 mins

Eastern Division Finals Game 4 (OT): 36 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 15-of-31 FG, 6-of-7 FT, 49 mins

Eastern Division Finals Game 5: 29 points, 5 rebounds, 12-of-26 FG, 5-of-6 FT, 48 mins

Eastern Division Finals Game 7: 37 points, 15-of-31 FG, 7-of-9 FT, 48 mins

NBA Finals Game 3 vs. LAL: 35 points, 6 rebounds, 11-of-26 FG, 13-of-15 FT, 41 mins 

NBA Finals Game 4: 37 points, 6 rebounds, 16-of-27 FG, 5-of-5 FT, 43 mins

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From 1965-66 through to 1967-68, Jones averaged over 20 points per game (23.5, 22.1, and 21.3) and was an all-star in ‘66 and ‘68. In 1965-66, he finished fifth in MVP voting for the 56-24 Celtics and made All-NBA 2nd team. He also made the All-NBA 2nd team in 1967. In Game 1 of the 1967 Eastern Division Semifinals against the New York Knicks, Jones scored 38 points in thirty-three minutes on 15-of-18 shooting and 8-of-8 from the line. He also had 4 rebounds and 4 assists in that 140-110 Celtics’ win. In Game 4, a 118-109 Celtics’ victory, Jones authored the best playoff performance of his career. He poured in 51 points in forty-three minutes on 19-of-30 shooting and made 13-of-17 free-throws. In Game 1 of the Eastern Division Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, Jones scored 24 points with 12 assists while playing all forty-eight minutes. He also scored 32 points with 7 rebounds in Game 5 of that series. 

Over those three seasons, Jones shot 46.9%, 45.4%, and 46.1%. In his final season of 1968-69, Jones averaged 16.3 points per game on 45% shooting. His shots were down to 15.8 per game in ‘68-’69 from 18.5 in ‘67-’68. 

An aged 35 Jones in 1969 came up with big time performances for the Celtics once again. 

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Sam Jones High Scoring Games in the 1969 Playoffs 

Eastern Division Semifinals Game 3 vs. PHI: 28 points, 12-of-26 FG, 4-of-4 FT, 34 mins 

Eastern Division Finals Game 6 vs. NYK: 29 points, 5 rebounds, 13-of-31 FG, 3-of-6 FT, 38 mins

NBA Finals Game 5 vs. LAL: 25 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 11-of-21 FG, 3-of-5 FT, 34 mins

NBA Finals Game 7: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 10-of-16 FG, 4-of-4 FT, 32 mins 

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After defeating the Lakers in Game 7 in 1969, Jones and Bill Russell rode off into the LA sunset as champions once again - Jones for the 10th time and Russell for the 11th - as both retired after legendary careers. In sixty-four NBA Finals games, Jones averaged 17.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Jones played in 871 career games and averaged 17.7 points (45.6% shooting, averaging 15.8 attempts) and 4.9 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game in his twelve NBA seasons. He was also a career 80.3% free-throw shooter. Jones is known as one of the more clutch performers in league history as well as for having one of its smoothest jump shots. For nine seasons from 1958-1967, he and backcourt mate K.C. Jones formed one of the most tenacious backcourts in the NBA. 

In 2015, Sam Jones during a celebration of his jersey unveiling at NC Central was presented by former state Gov. Pat McCrory with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine award. The recognition is the highest honor that a North Carolinian can receive. 

Jones’ No. 24 was retired by the Celtics in 1969, and he was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame that same year. In 1984, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 

“In terms of basketball skills, in total, Sam Jones was the most skillful player that I played with,” said Russell after Jones’ passing.

Jones passed away on December 30, 2021 at the age of 88. On what would have been his 92nd birthday, we remember him.