YouTube Gold: Sam Jones Nails A Game Winner In The 1969 NBA Finals

One of the great clutch shooters in NBA history

When you go into NCCU’s McDougald-McLendon Arena, you don’t have to go too far before you see the pictures of NCCU greats and featured prominently is arguably the greatest athlete the school ever produced: Sam Jones.

Born in 1933 in the heart of the Great Depression, Jones attended NCCU from 1951-54 and then from 1956-57. The bifurcation was because he was drafted by the Army.

He joined the Boston Celtics after Bones McKinney recommended him to Red Auerbach, particularly complimenting his bank shot.

Auerbach drafted him despite never seeing him play and Jones quickly justified his faith. He became part of a brilliant four-man backcourt with Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman and KC Jones. When Sharman (1961) and Cousy (1963) retired, the Jones’s took over and kept the dynasty rolling.

Sam had a special chemistry with center Bill Russell. Russell later said that Jones would tell him, you take care of this game and I’ll take care of the next one, and Russell said he always did.

He was also a great clutch shooter as you’ll see here in Game 4 of the 1969 Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Down one with seven seconds left after an Elgin Baylor turnover, with player-coach Russell having taken himself out, Jones got the ball near the top of the key and drilled the game winner with one second left.

Boston would go on to win Game 7 in L.A. and it would be the last game for both Russell and Jones, who both retired. Russell left the game with 11 rings and Jones departed with just one less than Russell at 10.

However, he is and will probably always be the North Carolina native with the most rings, well ahead of Michael Jordan’s six.