Chris Ford
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 11, 1949 Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | January 17, 2023 (aged 74) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Holy Spirit (Absecon, New Jersey) |
| College | Villanova (1969–1972) |
| NBA draft | 1972 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Playing career | 1972–1982 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Number | 42 |
| Coaching career | 1983–2004 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1972–1978 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1978–1982 | Boston Celtics |
| As coach: | |
| 1983–1990 | Boston Celtics (assistant) |
| 1990–1995 | Boston Celtics |
| 1996–1998 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 1999–2000 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2001–2003 | Brandeis University |
| 2003–2004 | Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) |
| 2004 | Philadelphia 76ers (interim) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 7,314 (9.2 ppg) |
| Assists | 2,719 (3.4 apg) |
| Steals | 1,152 (1.6 spg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Christopher Joseph Ford (January 11, 1949 – January 17, 2023) was an American basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ford was nicknamed "the Mad Bomber". He played most of his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons, Ford finished his playing career with the Boston Celtics. In the Celtics' first game in 1979–80, he made the first official three-point shot in NBA history. He won an NBA championship with the Celtics in 1981.
Between 1990 and 1995, Ford was the head coach of the Celtics. He also had been the coach for three other NBA teams until 2004. He died on January 17, 2023, six days after his 74th birthday.