Chris Ford died on Wednesday, his family said in a statement. He was a member of the Boston Celtics’ 1981 championship team, a longtime NBA coach, and the player who scored the league’s first 3-point basket. He was 74.
The family told the Celtics about the death. The statement said Ford died on Tuesday but did not say why. The Press of Atlantic City said he died in Philadelphia after a heart attack this month. “Chris’s family, friends, and teammates greatly liked him.
The family said in a statement that he loved his family, the city of Boston, the fans, and the whole Celtics family. “He was always humble and showed respect to everyone lucky enough to be in his life.” Ford was chosen as the team’s MVP in his first season with Boston.
He retired after the 1981–82 season and worked as an assistant coach for the Celtics for seven years, from 1983 to 1990. He helped Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish win two championships with the team in 1984 and 1986, when he worked with coach K.C. Jones.
He is one of four former Celtics, along with Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, and Sam Jones, who have won championships as both players and coaches. The Celtics said in a statement, “Chris Ford’s career as a player and coach spanned over a decade of Celtics basketball, and he left his mark every step of the way.”
“His teammates called him “Doc,” and he was an all-around guard who could do many different things… The Boston Celtics are very sorry for the loss of the Ford family and all of their friends. Ford was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
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After he graduated from Villanova in 1972, the Detroit Pistons picked him up in a draught. He played there for six years before being sent to the Celtics in a trade. In his first year in Boston, 1978–79, he averaged a career-high 15.6 points and 4.7 assists per game.
In the first quarter of Boston’s win over the Houston Rockets on October 12, 1979, the first game of the next season, he made the first 3-point shot in the history of the NBA. Ford took over as coach of the Celtics after Jimmy Rodgers left, and he led the team for five years, from 1990-1991 to 1994-1995.
Former Celtics player and coach Chris Ford dies at 74. https://t.co/TnL82ZOjO4 pic.twitter.com/nFyWMXKxD7
— Boston.com Sports (@BDCSports) January 18, 2023
He led Boston to a 222-188 record and four trips to the playoffs, but his teams never made it past the conference finals. Ford was also the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1996 to 1998 and the Los Angeles Clippers from 1998 to 2000.
He started the 2003–2004 season as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers. After Randy Ayers was fired, he took over as head coach for the last 30 games of that season. If you believe this is interesting, please discuss it with the other people you know. Visit the website Lighthousejournal.org for the most recent news and updates regarding famous people.
For almost 4 years, Jason Martin has been a freelance writer for newspapers, journals, blogs, books, and online material. He covers the most recent news as well as many other topics.