The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Coach Ted Owens about his former college player Jo Jo White winning a gold medal in 1968. Today marks the 44th anniversary of Jo Jo being named 1976 NBA Finals MVP after scoring 130 PTS in 6 games while leading the Celtics to a title by beating the Suns in 6 games.
Jo Jo was born/raised in St. Louis: how did you recruit him to Kansas? I was hired as an assistant at Kansas in 1960 and was named head coach in 1964. Someone recommended Sam Miranda as an assistant coach so I met with him and liked him very much. We went over a list of recruits and he mentioned a former St. Louis star who had become a ref. We flew to St. Louis in the summer of 1964 and had lunch with Jo Jo and his parents, which was legal back then. We invited him to attend the Oklahoma-Kansas football game that fall. It was a beautiful October day and we upset the Sooners due to 1 of our good running backs named Gale Sayers. Not many people remember that Jo Jo graduated a semester early from high school. We went back to St. Louis to watch him play in December and he was an outstanding athlete…but it snowed so we did not get to see him play. He came to Kansas the day after he graduated and we could not wait to hold a freshman practice to see how good he was. He was an outstanding all-around player but his best quality was that if a teammate was open he would get him the ball.
Due to his age he was eligible to join the team 1 semester early and with only 1 semester of eligibility left in his final year you opted to have him play for the 1st 18 games of the season during the 1st semester: how difficult was it to bring him in during the middle of the season, and do you have any regrets about not having available during the end of his final season? We had a very good team and knew that we had something pretty special. If a player began his eligibility during the middle of the semester then you had no choice because you had to play consecutive semesters. I talked to our captain Riney Lochmann because there was a chance that he would lose his starting spot to Jo Jo but Riney wanted to win so he agreed that we should let Jo Jo play immediately. We dominated in the 2nd semester and won by an average of 29 PPG. It was a joint decision but it was a real blow to lose him during his senior year.
In the 1966 NCAA tourney he had 19 PTS/11 REB in a 1-PT 2-OT loss to eventual champ Texas Western: how much of a home-court advantage did the Miners have in Lubbock, and do you think that referee Rudy Marich was wrong when he ruled that Jo Jo stepped out of bounds before making a 28-footer at the end of the 1st OT that would have won the game? There were definitely some Texas-enthusiastic fans in Lubbock, as there were when we beat SMU in our previous game. We knew that Texas Western had some wonderful athletes and it was a terrific game. Back then there was no seeding so I think that game featured the 2 best teams in the country. We were tied at the end of the 1st OT and got the ball near mid-court after forcing a charge. We called a play to let Jo Jo penetrate: the Miners pushed him to his left and he nailed it right at the gun. We were celebrating on the floor when the ref came over late to say that Jo Jo had stepped on the line. His heel was hovering over the line but he did not actually step on the line, and the ref was looking at the basket to see if there was any goaltending. Jo Jo landed out of bounds and I think that is what the ref focused on to make his call. You do not get many chances to win a national title and you cannot be 1 of the greatest teams in Kansas history unless you win it all. At his memorial service I said that God would know for sure if he got it right. The movie “Glory Road” had it all wrong: the game was tied so that call did not end the game.
He won gold medals with team USA at the 1967 Pan Am Games and the 1968 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a pair of gold medals? It was an extra-special gold medal in Mexico City. Some players refused to go to the Olympics as a protest but Jo Jo had dreamed of making it his entire life so he proudly went. Henry Iba was the coach of the team and was very well-regarded. Iba took guys like Jo Jo/Spencer Haywood/Charlie Scott and they returned to the US as heroes. When Jo Jo was introduced at road games after returning to college he would get a standing ovation.
He was a 2-time All-American: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors? His teammates loved him because he played hard at both ends of the court and was unselfish. 1 night at Oklahoma State he only scored 3 PTS and I surprised the players because I said that it was 1 of the finest performances by a PG I had ever seen because he dominated with his defense/passing. He had great humility and led by example (as great leaders do). He was not very talkative about his accomplishments even though he was proud of them. I had the great privilege of attending a game with him in Boston before he passed away and seeing his jersey hanging in the rafters. He would come back every summer and help out at our basketball camp: the kids loved him.
In addition to getting drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Reds, in the spring of 1969 he was drafted 9th overall by Boston but did not join the team until 1st completing his service in the Marines: how excited was he to join a Celtics team that had won 10 of the previous 11 NBA titles, and what impact did his service have on him either on or off the court? He was graduating in the middle of the term and the draft board was hot on his heels. Back then we did not have sophisticated agents like David Falk so he came to me because he did not know what to do. I called 1 of our former players who was a judge in Kansas City and told Jo Jo that we would negotiate his contract for free. We went to a hotel at the Kansas City Airport and had NBA executive Carl Scheer in 1 room and an ABA guy from Dallas named Max in another room. We went back and forth and Carl made the best offer at the time for a guard entering the league: 3 years for a total of $225,000. 1 reason the Celtics could get him at #9 is that they could afford to let him serve in the reserves for 6 months. Jo Jo loved the Celtics and Red Auerbach loved him right back.
In Game 6 of the 1974 Eastern Conference Semifinals he scored 18 PTS and made his only 2 FTs of the game with no time left in a 2-PT win at Buffalo to clinch the series (en route to winning the 1974 NBA Finals over Milwaukee), and in Game 1 of the 1977 Eastern Conference Semifinals he scored 21 PTS including a buzzer-beater in a 2-PT win at Philly: what made him such a great clutch player with the game on the line? He had a super belief in himself and was a fanatic when it came to preparation. He worked on all of his skills and had an inner confidence that you see in great athletes. We had some other outstanding players in 1966 but in the final seconds we always got the ball to him even though he was the youngest player on the team. I remember his very 1st game against Oklahoma State and feared that he might be nervous. I was apprehensive about starting a freshman in an important conference game so when I sent him onto the court he slapped me on the leg and said, “I am okay: do not worry”!
Take me through the magical 1976 NBA Finals:
In Game 5 he scored 33 PTS while playing 60 minutes in a 2-PT 3-OT win over Phoenix: what are your memories of what is often referred to as “the greatest game in NBA history”? He was absolutely exhausted: I think that he just sat down right on the court after the game. It was a truly great game that kept going after Garfield Heard made a shot at the end of the 2nd OT.
He was named Finals MVP: how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most? He was in terrific physical condition so he could sustain his energy much longer than most people. Every once in a while a guy comes along with the right talent/mindset/confidence and he had that, as well as a great desire to succeed.
His streak of 488 consecutive games played remains a franchise record and his 35.8 MPG remains top-50 all-time in NBA history: how crucial was his endurance/stamina to his success? It was very crucial: I do not recall him ever missing a minute in college due to injury. I asked him once about guys not playing hard every single day due to having a long season but he said that he and the other players in Boston like John Havlicek/Dave Cowens brought it all the time and took great pride in that. I am a fan of Russell Westbrook because you can never criticize the effort that he brings.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 and passed away in 2018: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? As a wonderful human being who was loved/admired/respected by his teammates and coaches. He represented all of the good qualities in sports and was just as kind to a random kid as to an important man. When he came to our camps he was like the Pied Piper and would just talk to the kids for hours and hours. I asked 1 of my former teammates what he wanted to become and he said “a good man”, which is what Jo Jo was.