Jo Jo White Says He's Doing 'Fantastic' After Brain Surgery

I was unaware of this.  Best of luck, Jo Jo.

http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2013/11/boston_celtics_great_jojo_whit_1.html


Boston Celtics great JoJo White, recovering from brain surgery, says he's doing 'absolutely fantastic'
Print Jay King, MassLive.com By Jay King, MassLive.com
on November 02, 2013 at 1:35 PM


BOSTON – About two weeks after a Yahoo! story about his ongoing recovery from 2010 brain surgery, Boston Celtics great JoJo White said he’s feeling “absolutely fantastic” before reminiscing about the Celtics’ past.

“I’m doing absolutely fantastic. If I was doing better I’d be scared,” he said Friday after a ceremony for the new Bill Russell statue. “I’m back with the Celtics on the inside (as director of special projects). We’re trying to round about us a team and get the guys – we’ve got some new guys, it’s going to take a few rounds but that’s what it’s about.”

Pressed on whether he’s getting back into the swing of things after getting a brain tumor removed three years ago, White said, “Oh absolutely. Absolutely. All that was passed on to me, I have to pass it on to the ones that are coming along.”

Selected in the first round of the 1969 NBA Draft, White missed out on the Russell-era Celtics, who won 11 championships in 13 seasons. But during his nine-plus seasons in Boston, White, alongside John Havlicek and Dave Cowens, still contributed to championship teams in 1974 and 1976.

Asked if perhaps those Celtics squads of the mid-70s are overlooked, White responded, “You can look at it like that. We did what we could for the time that we were there. We tried to play the game with what was left there and what was passed on to us. The Russell era and those guys, K.C. (Jones) and Tommy Heinsohn, all of those played valuable (roles) to us coming in to take over where they left off.”

White, 66, could not say enough about Havlicek, still No. 1 all-time for the Celtics with 26,395 career points.

“He was the best that I’ve ever played with,” said White, whose No. 10 jersey has been retired by the Celtics. “He was one guy that could run all day and seem like he never even (broke a) sweat. So I was following him. But I absolutely loved playing on those Celtics teams.”

White was traded to Golden State midway through his 10th season with the Celtics. Satch Sanders and Dave Cowens coached that year. But for the first nine seasons, White only knew one coach: Tommy Heinsohn.

“Tommy was more not like a coach, more like a teammate,” said White. “He still felt like he could get out there and make a few moves every now and then. So we had to pull his coat every now and then: ‘You’re the coach.’ But I admired him.”

White was one of several former Celtics – along with Heinsohn, Sanders, Sam Jones, Bill Walton and more – to attend Russell’s ceremony Friday.

“I’ve always had a respect for Bill Russell and how great of an athlete he is,” said White. “But to sit and listen to him, some of the things he says really hit home as individual athletes ourselves. To listen where he is now and where he’s going and what he’s trying to accomplish, he’s doing great things just because he was a great, great athlete.”

“Bill came at a time where they needed a real leader,” White added. “You had great players but you never had a real leader. And Bill certainly, certainly fits in that category.”





bob



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The late Russell era is sort of cloudy, don't remember all that much as I was just a little to small and obviously TV coverage was virtually non-existent.... but those 70's, loved them Cowens with the fire of ten in his belly, Hondo Chaney Silas Nellie JoJo plus getting to see them in person during my years at college and going into the locker room and all. Sitting talking to Johnny Most in the press room was my best personal memory. Those were indeed my favorite years.

beat