Sam Jones' family presents Steph Curry with a gift years in the making

Share

The Golden State Warriors are the enemy in Boston these days, but they still have the respect of past Celtics legends.

That includes Basketball Hall of Famer Sam Jones, who passed away on Dec. 30 at age 88. Members of Jones' family were in attendance at TD Garden for the Celtics' matchup with the Warriors, and before tip-off, they tracked down star point guard Stephen Curry to present him with a special gift.

As one family member explained to Curry, Jones was watching Curry's Warriors play in 2019 and was reminded of the 1960s Celtics, who won 10 championships in Jones' 12 seasons with the team as the most prolific dynasty in NBA history.

Jones had a stash of game balls he signed with fellow C's legend Bill Russell in 2017 and apparently asked his family to give one of the balls to Curry if he won another title.

Jones probably would have preferred Curry didn't win his fourth championship at the Celtics' expense, but his family still honored his wish, presenting Curry with the signed game ball Thursday night.

That's a pretty cool gesture from the family of Jones, who like Curry grew up in North Carolina and like Curry was an excellent shooter, earning the nickname "Mr. Clutch" for hitting big shots in big games.

Curry is a lock to join Jones in the Hall of Fame one day -- although he won't be catching the Celtics legend in the rings department.

Contact Us