Jones was born in Akron, Ohio but he and his family were constantly on the move.[1] When he was in the sixth grade, they moved to Charlotte, where they settled down.[2] He grew up in a family that valued sports. His father J.R., a World War II veteran who had served in Japan, had played on the 1947 Oklahoma Sooners national championship runner-up team and later on became a nationally ranked tennis player. His mother Hazel was a dominant high school athlete in basketball and tennis. Older brother Kirby was an All-State cager and later a Sooner who was also a state champion in tennis.[3]
As a kid, Jones often spent his days watching television, describing himself as a "couch potato".[4] J.R. then made him play on the church's league team. When he was in sixth grade, his father built a basketball ring. When his father was away working for Goodyear, he would assign them drills to work on.[2] One of those drills was shooting right-handed, despite being left-handed.[5] He would do his drills during commercials, then return to watching his programs.[6] Eventually, he grew to enjoy these drills.[2] As he got better at basketball, it became a way for him to socialize in high school and gain self-esteem.[7][8]
High school career
As a sophomore at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, Jones made the basketball team. His brother Kirby had also previously played for them before playing for the Sooners.[9] Bobby preferred track and field more, because he could practice by himself on his own terms. He won the state high jump title twice, finishing second in his junior year to Bob McAdoo.[9] As a senior, Jones broke the state record by clearing the bar at a height of 6 feet, 8inches.[10] Despite his track and field success, his father pushed him to pursue basketball.[11]
Jones succeeded on the court in his junior year, earning Charlotte's Player of the Year Award and leading South Mecklenburg into the state playoffs. His squad lost to a Greensboro team that starred McAdoo, but South Mecklenburg won the championship a year later.[10] Still, with all of his success as a cager, Jones did not think much about a future in basketball, but decided to pursue a basketball scholarship for free education.[11] He was recruited by the University of North Carolina, Duke University, and Florida.[5] He also had interest in Davidson College, as he regularly attended their games.[2] His family also tried to convince him to play for Oklahoma, but it was too far for him.[6]
College career
Jones ended up playing for Dean Smith at UNC.[12] He chose UNC as he connected with the coaching staff, which included Bill Guthridge and John Lotz.[5] He didn't play as a freshman, per NCAA eligibility rules at the time.[13] Instead, he learned defensive skills from Smith and Guthridge.[3]
As a sophomore, he shot an ACC single-season record 66.8% from the floor while averaging 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds and helped UNC get into the Final Four.[6][14] There they fell to the Florida State Seminoles.[15]
After his time with the U.S. national team, he started the gesture of pointing to teammates, whether he made the shot or not. Coach Smith called it "The Bobby Jones Rule", as a way of appreciating their teammates.[16] In his junior season, he averaged 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds.[14]
The American Basketball Association (ABA)'s Carolina Cougars selected Jones after his junior season in the 1973 Special Circumstances Draft, but he wanted to finish his psychology degree and polish his game, so he returned to North Carolina for his senior year while the Cougars held on to his ABA rights.[1][11] For his senior year, he was named co-captain of the team.[8]
He turned in an All-America campaign in 1973–74, averaging 16.1 points and 9.8 rebounds.[14] He turned in memorable performances against Duke that season, including a clutch steal and game-winning layup against them in March.[5] On UNC's "Senior Day", he contributed four points in the clutch as the team scored eight straight points to tie the game and eventually win in overtime 96–92.[17][2] He finished that game with 24 points.[18] He finished with averages of 13.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 60.8% from the field, and graduated with his psychology degree.[19][11]
Professional career
Denver Nuggets (1974–1978)
1974–1976: ABA years
Jones was selected by the Houston Rockets with the fifth overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft.[20] Meanwhile, the Cougars franchise (now known as the Spirits of St. Louis), still held onto his ABA draft rights.[1] Former Carolina Coach Larry Brown had moved on to the Denver Nuggets, and he was determined on acquiring him.[14] The Nuggets acquired his rights from St. Louis in exchange for the rights to Marvin Barnes.[21] With two leagues he could play for, he decided to join Denver, as he would have more playing time there.[1]
With Brown's coaching and Jones in the frontcourt, Denver went 65–19 in 1974–75, a franchise record and 28 more wins than the previous season.[22] Jones shot .604 from the floor for an ABA record, scored 14.8 points per game, and won a spot on the ABA All-Rookie Team.[23] However, they lost to the Indiana Pacers in the western division finals.[24]
In the 1975–76 season, the ABA's final season, Jones averaged 15 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks, and once again topped the league in field-goal percentage. He also played in the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, where he scored 24 points with 10 rebounds, and was named to the All-ABA Second Team.[25][23] The Nuggets, with stars David Thompson and Dan Issel, finished with a league-best 60–24 record, although they lost to the New York Nets in the Finals.[20]
1976–1978; Transition to the NBA
Jones transitioned to the NBA with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976, as did the rest of the Nuggets. In the 1976–77 season, Denver won the Midwest Division.[26] He averaged a career-high 15.1 points and 8.3 rebounds with a .570 field-goal percentage, and started in his first NBA All-Star Game alongside Thompson and Issel.[27][28] He also outpolled all other players in earning the first of eight straight selections to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, as he had the best defensive rating in the league.[3] They lost to the eventual champions the Portland Trail Blazers in the semis.[29]
The following season Jones averaged 14.5 points, elevated his field-goal percentage to a league-leading .578, and returned to the All-Star Game.[30][27][31] Denver won their division once again.[32] However, due to the phenobarbital he was taking for his epilepsy, his performance dipped in the playoffs, and they were eliminated in six games by the Seattle Supersonics in the Western Conference finals.[33]
Nuggets management feared Jones would be limited by his health problems, as his epilepsy was getting worse throughout the season.[33] This would be his final season in Denver. He finished his career in Denver with averages of 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 2.0 steals per game.[29] He currently sits at #7 on the all-time steals list, and #4 on the all-time blocks list.[34]
Philadelphia 76ers (1978–1986)
1978–1979: First season
After the 1977–78 campaign Jones was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers with Ralph Simpson pick for forward George McGinnis with both teams exchanging draft picks and both Jones and McGinnis waiving their no-trade clauses.[30] The trade came with a clause that should Jones be disabled due to epilepsy, the 76ers would receive a draft pick.[33] There he joined a team that was coached by another UNC alum, Billy Cunningham.[2] On March 7, 1979, he scored a career-high 33 points.[35] That season, they won 47 games as he averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, and led the league in field goal percentage. He was also selected to the First-Team All-Defense once again.[3][36]
1979–1982: Coming off the bench
Primarily a starter during his four seasons with the Nuggets, Jones made another transition after his first year with the Sixers. Coach Cunningham thought Jones would be best utilized as a sixth man, coming off the bench for the frontline Julius Erving, Darryl Dawkins, and Caldwell Jones. Cunningham was worried that the change would devastate Jones, but it took Jones about half a minute to agree to the coach's plan.[37]
Certificate presented to Jones for NBA All-Defensive honors in 1981–82.
Beginning with the 1979–80 campaign, Jones still averaged about 25 minutes. He also scored 14.4 points in his first season off the bench, his highest scoring average in his time with the Sixers. They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers that year.[3]
He returned to the NBA All-Star Game in 1981 as he was voted in by the coaches.[37] Their season ended on a one-point loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals.[3]
In 1981–82, Bobby Jones briefly returned to the starting lineup for that season, starting 73 games.[38] He was an All-Star again that season.[39] They avenged their loss to the Celtics the previous season in an Eastern Conference finals rematch, but lost once again to the Lakers in six games.[40]
1982–1983: Championship season
The arrival of star center Moses Malone from Houston for Caldwell prior to the 1982–83 campaign was seen as a gamechanger for the Sixers' title hopes.[6] In the regular season, they went on a 14-game win streak, and won 65 games.[3] He finished the season third in the league in defensive box plus-minus.[38]
In the playoffs, the 76ers began with a sweep of the New York Knicks, although each game was decided by fewer than 10 points.[16] In game one of the conference finals, the Milwaukee Bucks led by 109–108 with one minute 36 seconds to go in overtime. Alton Lister of the Bucks tried to inbound the ball but Jones stole the pass and flipped the ball to Clint Richardson. Richardson scored on a dunk to send the 76ers ahead 110–109.[41] A Philadelphia Inquirer article on Jones paraphrased the famous John Havlicek call by Johnny Most stating, "Bobby Jones stole the ball. It was grand larceny. Bobby Jones stole the ball and robbed the Milwaukee Bucks of a game, turning an almost-sure upset into a 111–109 overtime victory for the 76ers."[42] In Game 2, he had a crucial block on Brian Winters that helped seal the win for the 76ers.[12]
After a Game 4 loss to Milwaukee, Philadelphia then swept through the rest of the playoffs, eventually sweeping the Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals.[16] After the season ended, Jones won the first-ever NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.[16] From the Eastern Conference finals to the NBA Finals, he averaged 1.7 steals and 1.9 blocks.[43]
1983–1986: Final seasons
The Sixers began a steady decline after that championship year, finishing second to Boston the next three seasons. Jones turned in steady defense and solid numbers[according to whom?] during those years, although his playing time and production tailed off gradually. Still, he was as efficient as ever. In the 1985–86 season, Jones shot .559 from the floor, but only averaged 6.6 points per game despite returning to the starting lineup. That season, they were eliminated by the Bucks in the playoffs.[44] He retired at age 34, and the Sixers retired his uniform No. 24 shortly afterward on November 7, 1986.[44][45]
In 1972, tryouts for the U.S. Olympic Team were about to be held. Jones was not invited to the trials at first, so he attended summer school. When Dean Smith heard that a couple of players were declining invitations as a form of protest, he got in touch with Jones.[49] After making sure Jones was healthy (as he was recovering from a seizure at the time) he invited him to the tryouts.[33] Jones made the team, and quit summer school. He started all but one game due to a finger injury.[49] He played only five minutes in the Soviet Union's controversial win over the United States in the gold medal game.[11]
Player profile
Jones is known as a versatile defensive player. Although listed as a power forward, he often guarded the other team's best small forward.[3] In college, he could guard big men and guards.[29] He was also known for being athletic, which helped him deny the ball and box out for rebounds.[3][2]
A personal goal of his is to get at least 100 blocks and 100 steals every season, which he achieved six times.[3] Jones is one of only seven players in both NBA and ABA history to total at least 1,300 blocks and 1,300 steals, with averages of 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks.[48][50] In his NBA career, he made the top 20 in defensive rating six times.[3] He made the ABA and NBA All-Defensive Team in almost every season he played, with his final NBA season being the only season he did not make any All-Defensive Team.[50] He credits his time at North Carolina for his development on defense.[7]
Jones was not seen as a scorer, averaging 12.1 points per game in his career and scoring more than 30 points in a game only four times. When teams left him open however, he could make shots.[35] Although he is not a three-point shooter (he shot 0-for-17 in his NBA career), he could make shots consistently from the elbow.[5] At 6'9", he was also great at running fast breaks.[51] Those skills, along with being an ambidextrous finisher and being smart with his shot selection, helped give him a career field goal percentage of 56%.[5] He never shot below 52% in any season of his career.[29] His field goal percentage of 59.2 is the ABA’s all-time record.[52] He also rarely turned the ball over.[51]
Although he had the skills to be a starter, Jones often came off the bench.[53] This was good for him as it allowed him to scout the opposition and conserve energy for late-game situations.[16] It also helped his physical condition, as he was taking medication for his epilepsy at the time.[46] It was only in his first three seasons in the league that he averaged more than 30 minutes per game, while he averaged 25 minutes per game with the 76ers.[50]
Jones has been lauded for his selfless mentality and the intense effort he gave in games. "If I was going to ask a youngster to model after someone, I would pick Bobby Jones." said longtime 76ers teammate Julius Erving, "He's a player who's totally selfless, who runs like a deer, jumps like a gazelle, plays with his head and heart each night, and then walks away from the court as if nothing happened."[54][11] Opponents called him "one of the toughest to play against".[16] He was a part of 595 wins throughout his career from the ABA to the NBA, almost twice the number of games he lost.[3]
Jones was always honest and polite with referees. He would admit to referees if he was the one who sent the ball out of bounds or if he had fouled a player, even if it didn't help the team in the moment.[55]Larry Brown, Jones's coach with the Denver Nuggets, remarked, "Watching Bobby Jones on the basketball court is like watching an honest man in a liars’ poker game."[56] As a result, referees would respect him and more calls would go their way.[57] Referee Joey Crawford said that Jones "was the most polite player" he ever dealt with.[58] In his Naismith Hall of Fame speech, he gave credit to the referees.[16]
In his entire career, Jones was never called for a technical foul.[5] He was aggressive when he needed to foul, but he never did it to be seen as dirty.[11][1]
In 1988, Billy Cunningham, who had just helped establish the Miami Heat, attempted to persuade him to play for them. After a physical and a scrimmage, he decided against returning.[55] The Charlotte Hornets also tried to hire him as their general manager, but he turned them down.[6]
Endorsements
Jones endorsed Nike throughout his career. In 1982, Jones was one of the first athletes to wear Nike's Air Force 1 sneakers.[60] Nike also made a marketing campaign around him, which included a poster that dubbed him "The Secretary of Defense".[18][61]
Post-retirement
After retiring, Jones became a public speaker. He speaks at churches and schools, both local and international.[62][63] He also stays in touch with the 76ers organization and is often invited to speak to the team.[6][46]
Jones has coached several school basketball teams in the Charlotte area including Charlotte Christian School for 12 years, where he won three state titles. He then became an assistant coach at Carmel Christian School.[65] At Carmel Christian, he also coached their tennis team, held basketball clinics there, and was their summer camp coordinator.[46][63] He also coached Myers Park High School and the South Charlotte Thunder.[1][66]
Personal life
Jones is married and they have three children and seven grandchildren.[49][2] They live in Greensboro, North Carolina.[33] One of his sons, Eric, played for UNC's junior varisty team.[13]
Jones suffers occasional epileptic seizures, which requires medication.[33] His first seizure occurred when he was a sophomore at UNC after an intramural volleyball game. At the time, he was misdiagnosed with pericarditis, an inflammation of the heart sac. He experienced three more seizures from 1976 to 1978. In 1978, stricken by a seizure in his kitchen one day, Jones fell onto a butcher block and gashed open his head. The incident nearly led him to quit basketball. After he was traded to Philadelphia, he vowed to be more open about his diagnosis to break the stigma surrounding epilepsy.[33] His perseverance earned him Philadelphia's Most Courageous Athlete Award in 1984, which he dedicated to his wife, Tess.[67] He also suffered from a heart ailment, but after he was traded to Philadelphia, it never reoccurred again.[16]
Jones is a devout Christian. He grew up attending a Baptist church and devoted his life to Christ when he was in college.[3] He said that the Bible affected how he played basketball, as it commanded followers to give their best in everything they did.[11] When a computer-generated ranking sponsored by Seagram Distillers rated Jones the NBA's "most consistent and productive player" in 1977, he donated the $10,000 prize to religious charities.[68]Pat Williams, the general manager of the 76ers at the time, credited him for helping establish pregame chapel services, which all NBA teams still do to this day.[69][70] Throughout his ordeal with epilepsy, he credits his faith for helping him get through it.[33] He is also active with Christian ministries such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Athletes in Action.[71][72]Cody Zeller credited Jones for helping him transition to the NBA as a spiritual mentor to him.[15]Charles Barkley said of Jones's, "If everyone in the world was like Bobby Jones, the world wouldn’t have any problems."[73]
Legacy
The Sixers retired the No. 24 jersey in 1986. During his entire tenure with the Sixers, Jones' jersey always included the letter B with a period before his last name (B. JONES) above his number 24; he still wore it even after former teammate Caldwell Jones was traded for Moses Malone in 1982 and Caldwell's brother Charles left after only one season with the Sixers (1983–84). However, during the 2008 season, as part of the Sixers' 25th anniversary of the 1983 champions, he was given a framed replica jersey that simply states his last name without the letter B, since he was the only Sixer named Jones to play on the 1983 team.[citation needed] In 2018, a statue of him was unveiled at the Sixers' training complex. It shows him diving for a loose ball.[53]
In May 1989, Jones was inducted into North Carolina's Sports Hall of Fame.[74] On November 11, 2010, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.[75] In 2015, he was inducted into the FCA's Hall of Fame.[76] On April 6, 2019, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[52][56] He was inducted on September 6, 2019 with an introduction from Julius Erving and Charles Barkley, who filled in for his coach Billy Cunningham and David Thompson.[55] In 2021, he was inducted into South Mecklenburg's first-ever Hall of Fame.[10]
On January 28, 2020 Joel Embiid requested and was granted permission by Jones to wear his retired jersey number 24 for the Sixers, in honor of the late Kobe Bryant.[77]
In 2008, Athletes in Action named an award after him, the Bobby Jones Award, which recognizes an NBA player "who lives an exemplary life on the basketball court, in the home and in the community".[72][78]
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