James Loscutoff Jr. “Jim” was born on February 4, 1930, and died on December 1, 2015.

James was a professional basketball player for the NBA’s Boston Celtics.

A forward, James played on seven Celtics championship teams between 1956 and 1964.

James was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Nellie George (Ramzoff) and James Loscutoff.

His parents were Russian. James starred in basketball at Palo Alto High School, graduating in 1948.

James then attended Grant Technical College, a two-year college near Sacramento, California before proceeding to the University of Oregon.

Standing 6’5″, James was selected with the third non-territorial pick of the first round in the 1955 NBA draft.

In nine seasons from 1955 to 1964, James played forward and won seven championships as part of the legendary Celtics team of the 1960s.

James was originally drafted by coach Red Auerbach to provide some much-needed defensive nerve for the Celtics team, which (despite becoming the first team to average 100 points per game in the 1954 to 1955 season) had one of the worst defensive records in the league.

James Loscutoff Jr. passed away in Naples, Florida on December 1, 2015 from complications of Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia.