Boston Celtics legend Sam Jones, a Hall of Famer and 10-time NBA champion, has died at age 88.
Only longtime Celtics teammate Bill Russell, with 11, earned more NBA rings as a player than Jones, a five-time All-Star and a member of the NBA's 25th, 50th and 75th anniversary teams.
Jones passed away Thursday night of natural causes, according to a team spokesperson.
The Celtics will hold a moment of silence in his honor before Friday's game against the Phoenix Suns at TD Garden, where Jones' No. 24 jersey hangs in the rafters.
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"You look at the championships and what he did, it's obviously a big loss for the community here," Celtics coach Ime Udoka told reporters Friday.
A 6-foot-4 guard from Wilmington, N.C., Jones was drafted by Boston in the first round (eighth overall) in 1957 out of North Carolina Central.
He helped the Celtics win a record eight straight titles from 1959-66 and additional championships in 1968 and 1969. Jones averaged 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 871 career games from 1957-69.
Jones was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.
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