Hall of Famer K.C. Jones has one of the most impressive resumes in all of sports, with twelve championships spanning his career as a player and coach. Eleven of those championships came with the Boston Celtics.
REA’s Summer Auction features several items from his illustrious career, headlined by a 1981 Boston Celtics NBA Championship ring presented to him as an assistant coach, three of his All-Star Game rings from 1985 , 1986 and 1987 when he was head coach of the Eastern Conference team, basketballs commemorating his 300th career win and his Hall of Fame induction, and three multi-signed basketballs, each featuring signatures from some of the game’s most iconic players, including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird & Magic Johnson.
A Nice Ring to It
K.C. Jones won an incredible eight consecutive championships with the Boston Celtics during his playing career (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966). In NBA history, only his teammates Sam Jones (10) and Bill Russell (11) have more. Remarkably, this trio of Hall of Famers are the only three players in the history of the four major U.S. sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB) to have won eight consecutive championships. K.C. Jones was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989 alongside Pop Gates and Lenny Wilkins.
K.C. in SF
Prior to his career in the NBA, Jones was a force in college, winning two national championships with his eventual Boston battery mate Bill Russell at the University of San Francisco in 1955 and 1956. In fact, Jones and Russell led the Dons to a 55-game winning streak and pioneered a play that would eventually become synonymous with basketball - the alley oop. 1955 and 1956 remain the only two national championships for the university.
K.C. the Coach
Although he was only an NBA head coach for ten seasons, he has the fourth-highest regular-season winning percentage (min. 400 games) and led the Boston Celtics to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances, winning championships in 1984 and 1986. Prior to joining the Celtics, he led the Washington Bullets to the NBA Finals in 1975 where they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
In April 2024, Jones was named one of the top fifteen head coaches in NBA history as part of the league’s 75th Anniversary celebration. He was included alongside other coaching legends such as Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich, Lenny Wilkins, Red Auerbach and Pat Riley.
1981 Boston Celtics NBA Championship ring presented to coach K.C. Jones
The Triple Crown
K.C. Jones was a winner at every level he played, including the Olympics. He was part of the 1956 United States Olympic basketball team (along with teammate Bill Russell again) that won gold in Melbourne, Australia. He is one of only eight players that have completed the career “Triple Crown” - winning both an NCAA and NBA championship along with an Olympic gold medal. The others include Clyde Lovellette, Jerry Lucas, Bill Russell, Quinn Buckner, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Anthony Davis.
Bidding is open on a number of items from the K.C. Jones Estate through Sunday, August 11.