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Jo Jo White, Basketball Hall of Famer and St. Louis native, dies at 71

White was born in St. Louis and played his college basketball at the University of Kansas.
Jan 20, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; Former NBA player JoJo White receives the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award prior to the game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans at FedExForum. Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY

BOSTON (AP) — Basketball Hall of Famer Jo Jo White, a two-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and an Olympic gold medalist, has died. He was 71.

The Celtics announced his death Tuesday night. No cause was provided.

The team says it is "terribly saddened" by White's passing, calling him a "champion and a gentleman; supremely talented and brilliant on the court, and endlessly gracious off of it."

White played 10 seasons for Boston, which drafted him ninth overall from Kansas in 1969. He averaged 17.2 points per game over 13 years, also playing for Golden State and the Kansas City Kings before retiring in 1981.

The Celtics retired White's No. 10 the following year, and he still was working with the club as a director of special projects at the time of his death.

White was born in St. Louis and played his college basketball at the University of Kansas.

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