Tag: Jo Jo White

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 10

Today’s installment focuses on the nine players who wore No. 10 over the years as of September 2023.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the nine players who wore No. 10 over the years as of September 2023.

What Boston Celtics have the highest career scoring averages?

There have been some serious Boston Celtics scorers over the nearly seven decades now that Boston has been hanging banners.

As the most storied ball club in the history of the NBA, there have been some serious Boston Celtics scorers over the seven decades now that Boston has been hanging banners.

And while some of the Celtics legends of the past may not have been some especially prolific scorers given their excellence lay in other aspects of the game, plenty of Boston players have proven capable of putting points on the board in a hurry. But who were the best of the best when it comes to the Celtics Hall of Famers (and perhaps future ones) scoring in the 16-game season?

Let’s take a look at the Celtics’ postseason scoring greats.

On this day: Lakers-Celtics rivalry born; Hondo’s last home game; Tatum for 53

On this day, the storied rivalry between the Celtics and Lakers was born; it’s also the date of Boston legend John Havlicek’s last home game, and Jayson Tatum scoring 53 points.

On this day in Boston Celtics history in 1959, the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers was born as the Celtics defeated their longtime rivals — then in Minnesota, known for its lakes — as their first NBA Finals series came to an end with a 118-113 triumph for the Massachusetts franchise.

It was, Boston fans will be happy to hear, a sweep of four games in a row for the Celtics, who won the seven-game series to take home the first of eight NBA championships in a row, a feat that has yet to be replicated. For what it’s worth, it was also only one of two times a team with a losing record — the Lakers — made it to the Finals.

But, it began a long tradition of the two teams meeting in the NBA Finals over the decades that would be closer than this initial series might have one think.

On this day: Jo Jo White drafted, Bob Cousy dishes NBA-record 19 assists; Zaid Abdul-Aziz born

On this day, Boston Celtics Hall of Fame point guard Jo Jo White was drafted, and legendary Celtics floor general Bob Cousy made an NBA-record 19 assists.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the franchise drafted Hall of Fame point guard Jo Jo White in the 1969 NBA draft out of the University of Kansas with the ninth overall pick.

White would play 10 seasons with the Celtics, winning two NBA championships with Boston in 1974 and 1976, and would win a Finals MVP in 1976. The former Jayhawk was elected to seven All-Star games during his tenure with the Celtics and two All-NBA teams among many other honors. The St. Louis native would play in 488 consecutive games finally derailed by injury in the 1977-78 season, setting a franchise record in the process.

He never recovered to be a high-level player afterward and was traded to the Golden State Warriors for a 1979 first-round draft pick.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps picks his all-time Boston Celtics starting five

When it comes to all-time great players, the Boston Celtics have had no shortage of them over their seven-plus decades of storied history.

When it comes to all-time great players, the Boston Celtics have had no shortage over their seven-plus decades of storied history.

From Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Tommy Heinsohn and KC Jones to Paul Silas and Jo Jo White all the way up to Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, there has been an embarrassment of riches for Celtics fans to enjoy over the decades. And that’s not even considering more recent Hall of Famers such as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett! So, the mental exercise of coming up with an all-time starting five for Boston is no easy task.

But ESPN reporter Tim Bontemps tackled the project, coming up with his own five greatest Celtics for posterity’s sake.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they are, and see if they line up with the five greats you would pick yourself.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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On this day: Celtic champ Jo Jo White traded; Kevin McHale’s jersey retired

On this day in history, Boston Celtics champion point guard Jo Jo White was dealt to the Warriors, and Kevin McHale’s jersey was retired.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Celtics champion point guard Jo Jo White was traded to the Golden State Warriors back in 1979 for draft considerations after a significant injury changed the course of his Hall of Fame career.

White was a member of the Celtics for ten seasons, and one of the best athletes ever to suit up for the storied franchise, particularly when it comes to endurance and availability. He played for the University of Kansas before turning pro and won a gold medal representing the United States of America in the 1968 Olympic Games that were played in Mexico City. Interestingly enough, White was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and Dallas Cowboys as well as the Boston Celtics.

He spent a tour in the Marines before joining Boston, the rigors of which he attributed to his later success with the team.

On this day: legendary Boston Celtics point guard Jo Jo White born

Boston Celtics point guard luminary Jo Jo White was born on this day in 1946.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion point guard Jo Jo White was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1946. White played collegiately at the University of Kansas and later played for the United States at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico. That team earned the gold medal.

After the Olympics, the Missouri native was selected by the Celtics with the ninth pick of the 1969 NBA draft despite White having a mandatory two-year commitment to the U.S. Marines. Boston did not have to wait the full two years for White to join the team, however.

Iconic general manager Red Auerbach managed to get White’s tour with the Marines shortened so he could play that season with the Celtics.

On this day: Jo Jo White debuts; Tom Sanders fired, Dave Cowens hired as coach; David Wesley born

On this day, Boston legend Jo Jo White debuted for the team, Tom Sanders was fired as head coach, Dave Cowens was hired to replace him, and David Wesley was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, point guard David Wesley was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1970. An alumnus of Baylor University, the Texan guard found himself passed over in the 1992 NBA draft due to concerns about his height at 6-foot-1 and ability to transition from the 1 to the 2 at the NBA level.

After a stint with the Wichita Falls Texans in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA — that era’s equivalent of the NBA G League), he would sign with the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets before joining the Celtics the next season as a free agent.

Wesley’s scoring doubled or nearly so each of his first three seasons in the NBA, going from 3.1 to 7.4 to 12.3 points per game.

The Celtics have retired 23 jersey numbers (and one name) – these are the players so honored

It’s no coincidence this team has the most retired jersey numbers with 17 banners hanging alongside them.

There are no teams in the history of the NBA to have more titles than the Boston Celtics — at least not yet — so it makes sense there are no other franchises with more retired numbers to honor the players over the decades who earned and hung those banners.

In fact, there are no teams in any sport with more retired jersey numbers at 22 overall, a reflection of the excellence behind the Celtics mystique built by franchise architect Red Auerbach. From his signing with the team as coach and general manager onward, Boston became one of the premier teams of the greatest basketball league on the planet.

But who were the players for which those jerseys were retired after the latest addition of Hall of Fame big man Kevin Garnett? Let’s take a look at them all.

WATCH: Boston Celtics legend Jo Jo White’s Hall of Fame highlights

On a day like today, let’s look back on his iconic career with Boston.

On a day like today, we honor Boston Celtics Hall of Fame point guard Jo Jo White‘s legendary career with the storied franchise, the former University of Kansas standout helping to hang two banners in Boston.

In his time with the Celtics, he also won a Finals Most Valuable Player award, made seven All-Star teams and was elected to three All-NBA teams among many other accolades. His career in Boston spanned 10 seasons. White set the franchise record of games played without one having been missed, a total of 488 consecutive games played. After his career ended, his No. 10 was retired by the team, and he would be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

In celebration of his legendary career, let’s take a look at Jo Jo White’s Hall of Fame highlights courtesy of the NBA’s YouTube channel.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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