Jo Jo White, NBA Celtics Champ & Olympic Gold Medalist, Dies at 71

This is sad news indeed. Jo Jo White—NBA Finals MVP in 1976, as well as an Olympic Gold Medalist and Basketball Hall of Famer—has died at the age of 71.

The Celtics announced his passing and issued a statement on Twitter, calling him “a champion and a gentleman; supremely talented and brilliant on the court, and endlessly gracious off of it.”

The statement reads in full:

“We are terribly saddened by the passing of the great Jo Jo White. He was a champion and a gentleman; supremely talented and brilliant on the court, and endlessly gracious off of it. Jo Jo was a key member of two championship teams, an NBA Finals MVP, a gold medal-winning Olympian, and a Hall of Famer. His contributions to the team’s championship legacy may have only been surpassed by the deep and lasting impact that he had in the community. The thoughts and sympathies of the entire Celtics organization are with the White family.”

White’s daughter, Meka White Morris, told The Undefeated her father passed from complications of pneumonia due to dementia that was brought on by brain tumor surgery he had in 2010.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of an incredible husband and father,” Morris said. “He was a Hall of Fame basketball player, but even a better man. We sincerely appreciate all the love and continued prayers. But we ask for privacy as we spend time as a family reflecting and celebrating his life.”

1968 – White helped lead the U.S. men’s Olympic team to a gold medal in the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City.

1969-1979 – He played with The Boston Celtics

1978-1980 – White was with Golden State

1981 – His last team was Kansas City

2010 – White was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame

White appeared in two movies (1980’s Inside Moves and 2007’s The Game Plan), but mostly he devoted his time to civic duties. He was working as a director of special projects and community relations with the Celtics at the time of his death.

#RIPJoJoWhite