On this day: KC Jones, Bill Sharman born
On this day: KC Jones, Bill Sharman born
On this day in Boston Celtics history, point guard legend KC Jones was born in 1932 in Taylor, Texas. Jones played his college ball with fellow Celtics legend Bill Russell at the University of San Francisco, and was taken in the same draft class as Russell by the Celtics with the 13th overall pick of the 1956 NBA draft.
The Texan guard would go on to win eight titles with Boston, the only club he played for over a nine-season career in the NBA. He would average 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game with the Celtics. He would also win two titles with the team as a head coach in the 1980s.
Jones would be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989.
It is also the birthday of ex-Celtic shooting guard Bill Sharman, who played for the team between 1951 and 1961. Sharman was born in 1926 in Abilene, Texas, and played in the NCAA ranks with the University of Southern California, and was selected by the Washington Capitals 17th overall in the 1950 NBA draft. That franchise would fold after Sharman's rookie season, with the (then) Fort Wayne (Indiana, now Detroit) Pistons drafting the former Trojan in the dispersal draft.
The Pistons would then trade Sharman to the Celtics in turn. The Abilene native won four banners with the Celtics and was elected to eight All-Star games, seven All-NBA teams, and several other honors over his 10-season career with the team.
He averaged 18.1 points, 3.9 points, and 2.4 assists per game in Boston.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Turns Heads With Her Behavior During Fever's Practice on Thursday
Caitlin Clark Turns Heads With Her Behavior During Fever's Practice on Thursday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Fever are gearing up for their highly anticipated matchup against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Saturday. Indiana blew Chicago out in their first meeting earlier this season, 94-58, and they will be hoping for a repeat performance at Wintrust Arena in their upcoming clash this weekend. Advertisement Caitlin Clark will not be suiting up for that game as she continues to work her way back from a quad injury. Saturday's showdown against the Sky will be Clark's fourth straight contest on the sidelines, but the team is hoping that she will be able to return in their next game, which is on Tuesday against the Atlanta Dream. In the meantime, Clark will do everything she can to support the Fever ahead of their big game. This includes taking part in practice, albeit with a different role. The Fever posted some photos on Instagram from their practice session on Thursday, and the fans could not help but notice how Clark looked like she was acting as a coach in one of the pictures. View the original article to see embedded media. Clark can be seen in the background of one of the photos with one of her hands pointing in a certain direction. To the fans, it looked like the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year was playing the role of a coach for the squad amid her injury. Advertisement "Hey, Coach CC, I see you! I see you from afar. 😂," a comment on Instagram read. "CC so bossy," said another. "Wait is CC now a coach? 😂😂😂😂.......What can't she do? 😂" asked a supporter. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22).© Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "Caitlin back👀," a reaction read. "Caitlin just can't sit down😂😂 i can't wait to see her back in action," another said. "give the rook some minutes coach CC 👀," demanded a fan. While she's not able to take the court, Clark has been asked to integrate herself with the coaching staff. Head coach Stephanie White previously revealed that she had asked Clark to sit with the coaches during games in order for the 23-year-old to get a first-hand experience of how they operate. Advertisement Clark appears to have taken this to heart as she does what she can to help her team while she's out injured. There's no denying, however, that the All-Star guard would much rather be out on the court playing than being an honorary member of the Fever coaching staff. Related: Aliyah Boston Makes Blunt Admission About Controversial Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Incident Related: Caitlin Clark Had No Words for Fever Teammate's See-Through Outfit Related: WNBA Announces Big Mystics News After Fever Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Shaquille O'Neal reveals which two dunks in his NBA career are his favorite: "He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me'"
Shaquille O'Neal reveals which two dunks in his NBA career are his favorite: "He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me'" originally appeared on Basketball Network. At his peak, Shaquille O'Neal wasn't just a dominant force in the NBA; he was an unsolvable problem for the opposing coaches and a nightmare for the opposing big men. Double-teams, triple-teams, even entire rotations collapsed in the paint to try and slow him down. Most of the time, it didn't really matter because the 7 '1", 325-pound monster would just power through them all. Advertisement So when a guy like that singles out "just two" dunks from a career filled with broken rims, you know there's more to the story than just the highlight slam. One of the most disrespectful plays of all time On a recent podcast appearance, O'Neal was asked to recall his most memorable play — and his mind immediately went to two of those nights. The first? A poster that's become etched into NBA legend as one of the most disrespectful moments on the hardwood. The infamous throwdown over New York Knicks center Chris Dudley. "My favorite dunk of all time is two of 'em. And I actually seen this dude the other night, Chris Dudley, and I was like, 'Are you trying to fight or you trying to give me a hug?' He started laughing," the LSU product shared in his recent appearance on the "New Heights" podcast. Advertisement Now, the two guys laugh about it, but in that moment, it was anything but funny. Dudley had the thankless task of guarding Shaq one-on-one, and "Diesel" quickly recognized he wasn't getting help. So he went to work. "I take it as a sign of respect when you didn't double me. I take one dribble, the double still ain't coming… I take two dribbles, I even carry it on the second, 'Oh, these motherf****** not coming?' Now I gotta take that, just dropstep and boom it. He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me,'" the legendary center detailed. The visual still lives rent-free in every fan's mind — Shaq powering through Dudley, throwing it down with two hands, then shoving the Knicks big man to the ground. Chris was humiliated, but all he could do was throw the ball at the legendary Laker's back. It was the pure display of dominance from the 7'1" behemoth. Advertisement Related: Luc Longley on why he and Michael Jordan couldn't get along: "Mike was doing what he did to rookies, what he was doing to me" The dunk that started a dynasty But as close and personal as the Dudley dunk was, "The Big Aristotle's" other favorite came with far higher stakes. Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals. Lakers vs. Blazers. Fourth quarter. L.A. was down 15 after the first play of the final period, the wheels falling off in front of a stunned Staples Center crowd. That's when Phil Jackson, always playing chess, delivered what felt like a farewell speech in the timeout huddle — telling his players they had a great season, subtly preparing them for the end. However, it sparked the much-needed fire in their superstar duo Kobe Bryant and O'Neal. Kobe and Shaq took it personally. What followed was one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history, capped off with one of the most memorable plays in the Association. With the score 83–78 in favor of the Lakers, Bryant found himself facing Scottie Pippen — still one of the league's premier perimeter defenders — and crossed him to the left. "Mamba"came down the lane, but the help was there so he threw a lob for his big man to finish. Advertisement At first, it looked like the ball was going a bit too high. But Shaq pulled the ladder out of nowhere, reached what felt like an impossible height, and finished the play with a thunderous one-hand dunk. Two iconic slams. One was rooted in raw power and disrespect, and the other was all about timing and trust that made the early-2000s Lakers a nightmare to deal with. However, the memory of both remains the same for "Shaq-Fu." Related: "Shaq, I'm from the Balkans, you cannot haze me so hard, I've seen everything" - Goran Dragic recalls how he survived Shaquille O'Neal's rookie treatment This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Draymond Green disagrees with LeBron James' idea for NBA schedule change
Draymond Green disagrees with LeBron James' idea for NBA schedule change Each NBA season is long and arduous, and it tests every single player in the league from day one until the moment each team is done for the year. Many people have suggested that the league shorten its schedule from 82 games for each team to roughly 60 in order to reduce fatigue and injuries, as well as possibly increase the quality of play. Such proposals will likely never see the light of day, mostly because it would mean reduced revenue and pay for everyone involved, from superstar players down to those who live paycheck to paycheck. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James recently made an interesting suggestion on his "Mind the Game" podcast. He said that perhaps the NBA should give its players several weeks off between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. "If they're going to allow it to be as physical as it is, you've got to give us a little time to prepare for it," James said. "Maybe 12 to 15 games left in the regular season. Like a month. Give us a month to prepare for it. Because it goes from zero to 100." Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, a friend and rival of his, pushed back on that suggestion. Green feels such a break would do more harm than good. 'I know Bron talked about there being a month off before the playoffs; I don't know that that's possible,' Green said. 'A, guys will get a bit out of shape and can have an adverse effect, guys getting back in, and all of a sudden, you pull something because it's been a month." The NBA has already made some adjustments in recent years in order to make its schedule a little easier. It has cut down on the number of back-to-back games, and it has given teams several days off surrounding the All-Star game in order to make it, in effect, a mini-vacation, especially for those who don't participate in it. But what James suggested is extremely unlikely to ever take place. The league would either need to compress its regular season schedule, shorten the offseason or reduce the number of regular-season games, and the downsides would probably greatly outweigh the benefits.
