Courtesy of North Carolina Central Athletic Communications


ON THIS DATE: On April 17, 1957, North Carolina Central basketball legend Sam Jones was selected by the Boston Celtics in the first round (eighth pick) of the NBA Draft, held in St. Louis, Mo.
 
Jones, one of the greatest NBA players of all-time, is NCCU's second-leading career scorer. He played at NCCU from 1951-54 and 1956-57, netting 1,745 points in four seasons under head coaches John McLendon and Floyd Brown.
 
His 12-year career with the Celtics included 10 NBA championships, five All-Star Game appearances and three selections to the All-NBA Second Team. Nicknamed "Mr. Clutch," Jones amassed 15,411 points, an average of 17.7 points per game, 4,305 rebounds and 2,209 assists in 871 contests.
 
A native of Wilmington, N.C., Jones was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984 (April 30), and was named among the top 50 players in NBA history in 1996.