Jim Loscutoff dies; former Celtic and NBA champ was 85
In this April 9, 1959, file photo, Boston Celtics' Jim Loscutoff (18), battles Minneapolis Lakers' Vern Mikkelsen (19) and Larry Foust, during Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Minneapolis. The Celtics defeated the Lakers 118-113 to win the championship in four straight games. Jim Loscutoff, a seven time NBA champion who played his entire nine-year career with the Boston Celtics, has died. The team said in a statement that Loscutoff died Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015. He was 85. The team did not disclose a cause. Credit: AP / Gene Herrick
BOSTON — Jim Loscutoff, a seven-time NBA champion who played his entire nine-year career with the Boston Celtics, has died.
The team said in a statement that Loscutoff died Tuesday. He was 85. The team did not disclose a cause.
He is the only Celtics player to have his name, and not uniform number, retired “for his leadership and all-around excellent play.”
Affectionately nicknamed “Loscy” or “Jungle Jim,” Loscutoff was the team’s first-round draft pick out of Oregon in 1955. The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 6.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in his career.
After he retired in 1964, Loscutoff and his wife, Lynn, founded Camp Evergreen, a children’s day camp in Andover.
The team says he is survived by his wife and three children.
