K.C. Jones, Celtics Standout as Player and Coach, Dies at 88

K.C. Jones, the quietly tenacious Hall of Fame guard who played on eight consecutive N.B.A. championship teams with the Boston Celtics and later coached the team to two league titles, died on Friday. He was 88.

His death was announced by the Celtics. According to The Associated Press, the team said Jones’s family confirmed that he died at an assisted living facility in Connecticut, where he had been receiving care for Alzheimer’s disease for the past several years.

Jones wasn’t much of a scorer, and he was often overshadowed by flashier teammates. But he was renowned for his defensive play — the work that doesn’t necessarily show up in box scores — in frustrating many an opposing backcourt star.

He was an All-American at the University of San Francisco, teaming up with Bill Russell on teams that won 55 consecutive games and captured two N.C.A.A. championships. He joined with Russell on the United States Olympic basketball squad that won the gold medal at Melbourne, Australia, in 1956 and then played alongside him as the Celtics forged a dynasty in the late 1950s and ’60s.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/25/sports/kc-jones-dead.html