Boston Celtics head coach Chris Ford watches the Celtics play against the Seattle SuperSonics in Seattle, Feb. 25, 1994. Chris Ford, a member of the Boston Celtics 1981 championship team, a longtime NBA coach, and the player credited with scoring the league’s first 3-point basket, has died, his family announced in a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP
After seven seasons and two NBA championships as an assistant coach with Boston, Ford held the reins from 1990-95 and guided the Celtics to four playoff berths in five seasons.
As a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Ford played 10 seasons with the Detroit Pistons (1972-78) and Celtics (1978-82). He made the first 3-point field goal in NBA history on Oct. 12, 1979 and won an NBA title with Boston in 1981.
The Celtics and the Ford family announced his passing on Wednesday.
“The Ford family is sad to announce the passing of Chris on January 17, 2023. Chris was beloved by his family, friends, and teammates. He had a great love for his family, the city of Boston, the fans, and the entire Celtics family. He always showed humility and respect for all those that were fortunate enough to be a part of his life.”
Affectionately known as “Doc” by teammates, Ford averaged 9.2 points, 3.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 794 career games.
He compiled a coaching record of 323-376 for the Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks (1996-98), Los Angeles Clippers (1998-2000) and Philadelphia 76ers (2003-04).
Born in Atlantic City, N.J., Ford was a prep star at Holy Spirit in Absecon, N.J., before playing his college basketball at Villanova from 1969-72. His Wildcats lost to UCLA in the 1971 national championship game.
The Pistons drafted him in the second round (17th overall) in 1972.
The NBA instituted the 3-point line for the 1979-80 season. Ford knocked down his historic 3-pointer (on his only attempt) in Boston’s season-opening 114-107 win against the visiting Houston Rockets.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
Denial of responsibility! NewsBit.us is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.
