Rumors

“I told Brown, ‘Welcome to the club,'” said Cedric Maxwell, the 1981 NBA Finals MVP for Boston. “That’s what Jo Jo White told me — the Green is about winning the championship, putting up another banner,” Maxwell said. “You can talk about MVPs and All-Star games and all this other stuff. But until you actually achieve and get that banner. … these guys are legacies now. They have joined the club. And when you talk about join the club, that’s what it’s all about. You can’t ask for any more than that. You can’t fake it. … now, Tatum has gotten a ring. So, what it does is, it eliminates all the pressure.”

New York Times

Jaylen Brown has been around for plenty of big games by Tatum, but he knew this one carried a little bit more weight. "It was a big-time performance," Brown said. "Our backs are against the wall, too. You love to see JT come out aggressive and carry us offensively like he did forcing Game 7. Definitely a signature game for the Celtics and for Jayson." Tatum, Brown and Smart combined for 89 of Boston's 108 points as Brown went for 22 and Smart had 21. The trio combining for 82.4% of the Celtics' points marked the second-highest percentage by a Boston trio in postseason history behind only Dave Cowens, John Havlicek and Jo Jo White scoring 80 of 91 points on April 20, 1973, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

ESPN

Marc J. Spears: Celtics legends selected by fans, media & historians for All-Celtics Team: Ray Allen, Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Tommy Heinsohn, Dennis Johnson, Sam Jones, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Paul Pierce, Bill Russell, Bill Sharman & Jo Jo White. pic.twitter.com/Ys9TIaGHmD

Twitter

Justin Kubatko: Kyrie Irving missed 58 field goals over his last four games, the most by a Celtic in a four-game postseason span since Jo Jo White in 1977.

Twitter

Charlie Scott’s lone regret from waiting more than 30 years to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is that his buddy Jo Jo White wasn’t there to welcome him at the ceremony on Friday. White, a 2015 inductee, died in January, a few months before Scott got his Hall of Fame confirmation. White, Scott, and Spencer Haywood often talked about making the Hall together someday, and now all three are in.

Boston Globe

Jim Eichenhofer: Via #Pelicans TV stat ace Tommy Cooper: Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday scored the most pts by a pair of teammates in an #NBA playoff game since 1973, when Boston's JoJo White and John Havlicek also scored exactly 88 pts

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Steve Bulpett: A beautiful and moving service for Jo Jo White today... So many of his former teammates in attendance. Very strong note from Charlie Scott talking about tradition and saying all the former players are still watching closely to see that current team is living up to the uniform.

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Chris Forsberg: The Celtics have set up a tribute to Jo Jo White with his jersey draped on his familiar seat at TD Garden. Workers are wearing No. 10 pins in his honor.

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Gary Washburn: Video tribute for the great Jo Jo White, who passed Tuesday. Crowd gives him one final standing O. #Celtics

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White survived brain surgery and was a fixture at TD Garden in recent years. He fought long and hard enough to participate in his induction into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2015, where he greeted the crowd in a prepared speech, speaking clearly and eloquently despite battling health issues. White passed away Tuesday at age 71 of brain cancer. He was a prince, always walking with class and dignity, never fully acknowledging his greatness, always directing the attention and adulation of those great 1970s teams to his teammates and coach Tom Heinsohn.

Boston Globe

“He was the guy that if you wanted somebody to shoot a free throw at the end of the game, John Havlicek didn’t shoot it, it was Jo Jo,” Cowens told the Globe last night. “He was a clutch guy and a great teammate.”

Boston Globe

“Well I didn’t get to know him real well but my times that I spent with him he was always super kind,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “He was always certainly really appreciative to have been part of the Boston Celtics, and you just appreciated kind of how he treated everybody. And when he was around, you could tell he had an influence on our guys and impact on our guys. And it’s really sad. You know, our hearts, obviously goes out to the family.”

Boston Globe

His post-career battle was indicative of his heart and grit. White never felt sorry for himself. He never shied away from a conversation. He was always smiling. He was always immaculately dressed. Even as he struggled to get around, he walked with grace and class.

Boston Globe

Danny Ainge: Jo Jo was such a nice man! I loved watching him play for the Celtics. He gave me a big hug and told me a good job I was doing every time he saw me. I witnessed him lifting others up as well. God Bless Debbie and the rest of his family🙏🏼 #RIPJoJo #Celticforever twitter.com/nba/status/953…

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