Legendary Celtics Guard Jo Jo White Dies At 71 After Long Battle With Brain Cancer, Dementia

Boston Celtics legend Jo Jo White, a two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, died Tuesday at age 71.

Jo Jo White Death News

The former guard’s daughter Meka White Morris revealed the cause of death.

“My dad died from complications (pneumonia) from dementia that was brought on by the removal of a benign brain tumor in May 2010,” Morris told The Undefeated.

White, a seven-time All-Star, averaged 17.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds over 12 NBA seasons. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

“We are terribly saddened by the passing of the great Jo Jo White,” the Celtics said in a statement announcing White’s passing. “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.”

Throughout his ten years in Boston, White helped lead the Celtics to two NBA championships in the 1970s (1974, 1976). He won Finals MVP honors in 1976. He was known for his quick movement, his unstoppable jump shot, and his fast breaks.

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

White’s No. 10 jersey was retired by the Celtics in 1982. He also served as the team’s director of specials projects after a 12-year career that also included brief stints with the Golden State Warriors and then-Kansas City Kings. The 1969 ninth overall NBA draft pick out of Kansas retired in 1981 and returned to the Jayhawks as an assistant coach from 1982-83.

As a player at Kansas, the 6-foot-3 White was a two-time All-American and was the team’s MVP for three straight seasons.

Former Celtics guard Rajon Rondo — whose New Orleans Pelicans were in town to play the Celtics on Tuesday night — said White was one of the Celtics legends who made him feel most welcome during his time with the team.

“I knew [White] pretty well. He was probably one of my biggest supporters from day one since I got here,” Rondo said after his team’s 116-113 win. “He always supported me. He always gave me great advice and his family, his wife, was very kind to me as well. I send my condolences to the White family.”

White underwent life-threatening surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2010. After being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015, he delivered a touching speech.

The sharpshooter remains tenth on the Celtics’ all-time scoring list and holds the team record with 488 consecutive games played.

White also won a gold medal with the USA Olympic basketball team at the 1968 Games in Mexico City.

Off the court, White was a sharp dresser and was regarded as an example of elegance. He is survived by his wife Deborah, whom he met in 1980, and their six children, whose names were not immediately made available.