Hall of Famer and Celtics legend Sam Jones dies at age 88

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Celtics legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Sam Jones has died at the age of 88.

Jones, the eighth overall pick in the 1957 NBA Draft, enjoyed a 12-year playing career with the Celtics in which he won 10 NBA titles. Jones' 10 championships are the second-most in NBA history behind only Bill Russell, who won 11 NBA titles.

MORE: The 1960s All-Decade Team

Over the course of his career, Jones earned five All-Star selections and three All-NBA Second Team selections with averages of 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

"One of the many testaments to his clutch performances is the fact that his playoff scoring average (18.9) exceeded his regular-season output (17.7). His number 24 was retired in 1969, the final year of his Celtics career, which of course resulted in an NBA Championship – his tenth," the Celtics said of Jones' passing.

After retiring in 1969, Jones was selected to the NBA's 25th Anniversary Team in 1971, the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996 and the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Jones was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984.

A native of Wilmington, NC, Jones is an alumnus of North Carolina Central, an HBCU in Durham, NC. Jones became the first African American to be inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1969.

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Gilbert McGregor is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.