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Sam Jones, a North Carolina Central alumnus who won 10 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, died Dec. 30 at age 88.

Sam Jones, a North Carolina Central alumnus acknowledged as one of the CIAA’s and NBA’s greatest players, died Dec. 30, at age 88.

Jones, who played at NCCU from 1951-54 and 1956-57, is the school's second-leading career scorer with 1,745 points over four seasons under Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame head coach John McLendon and Floyd Brown. Jones averaged 17.8 points per game with the Eagles in 98 games. 

Jones, drafted eighth overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1957 NBA Draft, earned 10 NBA championships, second only to Hall of Fame teammate Bill Russell’s 11. Jones appeared in five All-Star Games and was named All-NBA second team three times. Nicknamed "Mr. Clutch," Jones tallied 15,411 points – an average of 17.7 points per game – to go with 4,305 rebounds and 2,209 assists in 871 games. 

“Sam Jones will be remembered as one of the most prolific champions in all of professional sports,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “His selfless style, clutch performances and signature bank shot were hallmarks of an incredible career that featured 10 NBA championships in 12 seasons with the Boston Celtics.  An HBCU legend at North Carolina Central University and a member of the NBA’s 25th, 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, Sam was a beloved teammate and respected competitor who played the game with dignity and class.”

Born on June 24, 1933, in Wilmington and a high school graduate of Laurinburg Institute, Jones was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and NCCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984, as well as the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1969), NAIA Hall of Fame (1962), and CIAA Hall of Fame (1981).

He was selected to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1970, and was later named among the top 50 players in NBA history as a member of the 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October.

In 2015, Gov. Pat McCrory presented Jones with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award, the highest honor bestowed upon a North Carolina citizen.

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