On this day in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame Celtics shooting guard Sam Jones had his jersey number raised up to the rafters of the old Boston Garden in honor of his iconic career in Boston as one of the winningest players ever to play the sport of basketball professionally.
A 10-time champion at his retirement — a feat only bested by friend and teammate Bill Russell with 11 titles as a player — Jones had his No. 24 jersey forever taken out of circulation in respect for “The Shooter” (as Jones was called as a nickname). Ironically drafted by the (then) Minneapolis Lakers (later, Los Angeles), the Wilmington, North Carolina native would instead return to college for another year, and would be picked up by Red Auerbach and the Celtics with the eighth overall selection of the 1957 NBA draft.
