'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABeAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgkQAAEEAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAAQMEBhIFIREUQQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIRAAICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERAAIhMUH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AM5KHN4ZDjc1GzjRz8ocMgBe9sxYZCLyEmjdNo3Wv1QyIjk1qA95PS5//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Tragic news surfaced on Wednesday morning that former Boston Celtics player and coach Chris Ford had passed away at the age of 74.
According to reports from the Press of Atlantic City, a local outlet in Ford's hometown, he suffered a heart attack earlier this month.
A statement from his family released through the Press of Atlantic City on Wednesday read:
"Chris was beloved by his family, friends, Ducktown, Holy Spirit High School, and all of South Jersey. He always showed humility and respect for all those that were fortunate enough to be a part of his life."
Ford played for a decade in the NBA, splitting time between the Detroit Pistons early on and the Boston Celtics late in his career. After winning an NBA championship in 1981, Ford then took on an assistant coaching job in 1983 after his retirement as a player.
In 1984 and again in 1986, Ford and the Boston Celtics won NBA championships. After a seven-year run as an assistant coach, the Celtics made him the head coach for five years. During that time, he was named the 1991 All-Star Game head coach for the Eastern Conference.
After a five-year run with the Celtics, Chris Ford coached for the Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers, and the Philadelphia 76ers, where he coached a young Allen Iverson.
Chris Ford scored the first-ever 3-pointer
Considered by his peers to be one of the most genuinely kind men the league has ever seen, Ford was a proud Atlantic City native. Given how many different facets of the game he touched, his loss is without a doubt a massive one for the basketball community as a whole.
In addition to having a long and storied career as both a player and a coach, Chris Ford is known for making the first 3-pointer in the history of the NBA. After the league added the 3-point shot in 1979, Ford knocked down the first ever shot while playing for the Boston Celtics.
Below, you can see Chris Ford hitting the first 3-pointer in NBA history.
(Suggested Reading: Three potential landing spots if the Bulls trade Nikola Vucevic)
