NBA History | Recent Obits

In Memoriam: Paul Westphal
02:35

In Memoriam: Paul Westphal

The NBA family mourns the loss of Paul Westphal, a Hall of Fame player who won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 1974 and later coached in the NBA, leading the Phoenix Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals. A five-time All-Star guard, the ambidextrous Westphal was an outstanding shooter, who played in the NBA from 1972-84. Two years after winning a championship with the Celtics, Westphal led the Sunderella Suns to the 1976 NBA Finals, where he was a key part of one of the most riveting and memorable games in league history -- a triple-overtime Game 5 classic versus the Celtics. A standout at USC, Westphal was selected with the 10th overall pick by the Celtics.

In Memoriam: K.C. Jones (1932-2020)
03:15

In Memoriam: K.C. Jones (1932-2020)

The NBA family mourns the loss of K.C. Jones, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion who was an essential member of eight straight NBA titles during the Celtics Bill Russell era and then coached the Boston teams with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to two more championships in the 1980s (1984 and 86). Jones won 11 championships total with the Celtics and one as an assistant coach on Bill Sharman's staff on the record-setting 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. A hard-nosed, playmaking guard and defensive specialist, Jones was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989. Jones also made coaching history: He was part of the first NBA Finals matchup that featured two African-American head coaches.