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Personal information | |
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Born | Galveston, Texas, U.S. | August 25, 1976
Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Ball (Galveston, Texas) |
College | Houston (1994–1997) |
NBA draft | 1997: undrafted |
Playing career | 1997–2012 |
Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
Number | 9, 11, 13, 14, 19 |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1997–1998 | Black Hills Posse |
1998 | Jacksonville Barracudas |
1998–1999 | Idaho Stampede |
1999 | New Jersey Nets |
1999 | Boston Celtics |
1999 | Golden State Warriors |
1999–2000 | Dallas Mavericks |
2000 | Gulf Coast Sun Dogs |
2000–2001 | Vancouver Grizzlies |
2001–2002 | Detroit Pistons |
2002–2003 | Sacramento Kings |
2003–2004 | Milwaukee Bucks |
2004–2005 | Miami Heat |
2005–2008 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
2008–2009 | Milwaukee Bucks |
2009 | NSB Napoli |
2010 | Piratas de Quebradillas |
2011 | Bucaneros de La Guaira |
2012 | Reno Bighorns |
As coach: | |
2014–2018 | Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant) |
Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As assistant coach: | |
Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 4,326 (6.6 ppg) |
Rebounds | 1,074 (1.6 rpg) |
Assists | 1,806 (2.7 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Damon Darron Jones (born August 25, 1976) is a former American professional basketball player who played most of his career for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
A combo guard, he played college basketball for three years with the University of Houston Cougars before declaring early for the 1997 NBA draft, but he went undrafted. After his playing career ended, Jones joined the Cavaliers coaching staff.
Jones played for the Ball High School Golden Tornadoes basketball team. He went on to the University of Houston after his graduation in 1994.
A journeyman throughout his career, Jones never played for the same team for more than one season except for 2005–2008, when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his career, he played for ten different teams.
Jones was most notable for his ability to make three-point field goals. In fact, three-point attempts made up the majority of his field goal attempts because his role was often to wait on the outside while teammates such as Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, or LeBron James forced double teams. Jones was supremely confident of his shot, once proclaiming that he is "the best shooter in the world." [1]
Jones played for the Idaho Stampede of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) during the 1998–99 season. He was selected as the CBA Newcomer of the Year and named to the All-CBA First Team. [2]
Prior to the 2004–2005 season, Jones signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Miami Heat. Jones then proceeded to have the best statistical season of his career, setting career highs in games started (66), minutes played (2,576), field goals made (331) and attempted (726), field goal percentage (45.6%), three-point field goals made (225) and attempted (521), three-point field goal percentage (43.2%), free throws made (68) and attempted (86), rebounds (231), steals (44), blocked shots (5) and points scored (955). [3] His 225 three-point field goals made was third best in the NBA (and at the time, tied with Mitch Richmond for the ninth most ever in an NBA season) and his three-point field goal percentage was fifth best that season. [4]
Jones had a career-high 31 points on February 16, 2005, against the Los Angeles Clippers and scored in double figures on 48 occasions. He also had his only game with two blocked shots on March 10, 2005, against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jones grabbed a career-high eight rebounds on November 6, 2004, against the Washington Wizards, a mark he tied on February 22, 2005, against the Chicago Bulls. [5]
In 15 playoff games, Jones averaged 12.1 points and 4.0 assists, and shot 42.9% from three-point range. [3] He had a career playoff high of 30 points with seven three-point field goals made in Miami's first game of the first round against the New Jersey Nets. Jones scored in double digits during 10 of Miami's 15 playoff games. [5]
Jones departed the Heat to sign a four-year contract worth a reported $16.1 million with the Cleveland Cavaliers on September 8, 2005. [6] In 82 games played (seven starts) during the 2005–06 regular season, Jones averaged 6.7 points and 2.1 assists per game. He shot 37.7% from three-point range. [3] On November 13, 2006, he had a season-high 22 points on a season-high 5 three-point field goals. Jones hit five three-point field goals on four other occasions. [7] On March 8, 2006, Jones hit a game-winning three-point field goal as time expired in a 98–97 victory against the Toronto Raptors. [4]
In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Jones played in 13 games, averaged 1.8 points and hit 27.8% of his three-pointers. [3] He had a playoff high 8 points in a game four Eastern Conference Semifinal win against the Detroit Pistons. [7]
On May 5, 2006, Jones came off the bench late in Game 6 of the Cavs' Eastern Conference first-round series against the Washington Wizards. In his first minute of the game action, in overtime, he hit the game-winning shot to clinch the series four games to two, and sent the Cavs into the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since 1993. [8]
In 60 games played during the 2006–2007 regular season, Jones averaged 6.6 points and 1.6 assists per game. He shot 38.5% from three-point range. [3] On November 13, 2006, he had a season-high 29 points on a season-high 7 three-point field goals. [9]
Jones was selected to participate in the Three-Point Shootout during the 2007 All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jones finished in fifth place.
In the 2007 NBA Playoffs, Jones played in 11 games, averaged 2.4 points and hit 31.8% of his three-pointers. [3] He had a playoff high 9 points on three three-point field goals in a game one NBA Final loss to the San Antonio Spurs. [9]
Jones played in 68 regular season games (three starts) for the Cavaliers. He averaged 6.4 points and 1.9 assists and shot 41.7% from three-point range. Jones had a season-high 27 points on a season-high seven three-point field goals [10] in a February 22, 2008, short-handed Cavs victory over the Washington Wizards. [11]
In five playoff games, Jones scored six total points and dished one assist.
On December 28, 2007, it was revealed that the Cavaliers fined Jones and Ira Newble an undisclosed amount of money for refusing to come off the bench during the final minute of their Christmas Day win over the Miami Heat. [12]
On August 13, 2008, Jones was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team, six-player deal involving the Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder that also sent Milwaukee's Mo Williams to Cleveland, Cleveland's Joe Smith and Milwaukee's Desmond Mason to Oklahoma City, and Oklahoma City's Luke Ridnour and Adrian Griffin to Milwaukee. [13]
On March 29, 2010, Jones signed with the Piratas de Quebradillas of the Puerto Rico Basketball League. [14] However, on April 13 he was released, after averaging only 10.7 points in four games played.
In February 2011, he signed with Aliağa Petkim in Turkey, [15] but didn't pass the physical fitness test and was released. [16]
After a stint with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League (NBA D-League), Jones retired from playing in 2012.
In 2014, Jones became a part of the coaching staff for the Cleveland Cavaliers with the title of "shooting consultant," working with both the Cavaliers and their NBADL affiliate the Canton Charge. [17] [18] [19] During the 2015–16 season, Jones served as an assistant coach with the Charge. [20] [21]
In April 2016, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue added Jones to his coaching staff for the 2016 NBA Playoffs. [22] The Cavaliers went on to win the championships over the Golden State Warriors in seven games, being the first team to overcome a 3–1 deficit. In September 2016, Jones was promoted to the full-time role of assistant coach for the Cavaliers. [23] In March 2018, Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith threw a bowl of soup at Jones and was suspended for one game by the team. [24] [25]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
* | Led the league |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998–99 | New Jersey | 11 | 0 | 11.9 | .318 | .345 | .846 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .6 | .0 | 4.5 |
1998–99 | Boston | 13 | 0 | 16.4 | .387 | .455 | .750 | 2.4 | 2.2 | .5 | .0 | 5.8 |
1999–00 | Golden State | 13 | 1 | 15.1 | .463 | .478 | .778 | 1.2 | 3.0 | .5 | .0 | 5.2 |
1999–00 | Dallas | 42 | 0 | 9.9 | .357 | .330 | .641 | .9 | 1.4 | .3 | .0 | 3.9 |
2000–01 | Vancouver | 71 | 10 | 19.9 | .409 | .364 | .712 | 1.7 | 3.2 | .5 | .0 | 6.5 |
2001–02 | Detroit | 67 | 0 | 16.2 | .401 | .371 | .729 | 1.5 | 2.1 | .3 | .0 | 5.1 |
2002–03 | Sacramento | 49 | 1 | 14.5 | .381 | .364 | .741 | 1.4 | 1.6 | .4 | .1 | 4.6 |
2003–04 | Milwaukee | 82 | 26 | 24.6 | .401 | .359 | .764 | 2.1 | 5.8 | .4 | .0 | 7.0 |
2004–05 | Miami | 82 | 66 | 31.4 | .456 | .432 | .791 | 2.8 | 4.3 | .5 | .1 | 11.6 |
2005–06 | Cleveland | 82* | 7 | 25.5 | .387 | .377 | .640 | 1.6 | 2.1 | .5 | .0 | 6.7 |
2006–07 | Cleveland | 60 | 0 | 19.6 | .386 | .385 | .682 | 1.1 | 1.6 | .3 | .0 | 6.6 |
2007–08 | Cleveland | 67 | 3 | 19.9 | .416 | .417 | .714 | 1.1 | 1.9 | .3 | .0 | 6.5 |
2008–09 | Milwaukee | 18 | 0 | 6.0 | .324 | .393 | .000 | .3 | .4 | .2 | .0 | 1.8 |
Career | 657 | 114 | 20.5 | .407 | .390 | .727 | 1.6 | 2.7 | .4 | .0 | 6.6 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Detroit | 10 | 0 | 18.1 | .381 | .296 | .750 | 2.1 | 2.5 | .5 | .0 | 4.3 |
2004 | Milwaukee | 5 | 5 | 28.8 | .529 | .476 | .667 | 4.0 | 7.4 | 1.0 | .0 | 10.0 |
2005 | Miami | 15 | 15 | 33.2 | .481 | .429 | .600 | 2.7 | 4.0 | .5 | .0 | 12.1 |
2006 | Cleveland | 13 | 0 | 13.9 | .308 | .278 | .750 | 1.2 | .9 | .2 | .0 | 1.8 |
2007 | Cleveland | 11 | 0 | 12.6 | .308 | .318 | 1.000 | .8 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 2.4 |
2008 | Cleveland | 5 | 0 | 5.2 | .200 | .286 | .000 | .0 | .2 | .0 | .0 | 1.2 |
Career | 59 | 20 | 19.8 | .427 | .382 | .660 | 1.8 | 2.5 | .3 | .0 | 5.6 |
Earl Joseph "J. R." Smith III is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Smith played high school basketball at New Jersey basketball powerhouse Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark. He entered the NBA out of high school after being selected in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft with the 18th overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets. He has also played for the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, as well as for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Smith won two NBA championships, with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
Tyronn Jamar Lue is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He formerly served as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, helping them win their first and only NBA title.
Maurice Williams is the head men's basketball coach at Jackson State University and a former professional basketball player who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a successful high school career at Murrah High School in Jackson, Mississippi, Williams attended college at the University of Alabama, where he led his team as a freshman to a 27–8 record, and also shared an SEC regular-season championship. After two seasons at Alabama, Williams entered the 2003 NBA draft where he was selected with the 47th overall pick by the Utah Jazz. Throughout his career, he has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2009, Williams was selected as an NBA All-Star. In the 2016, he won his only NBA championship with the Cavaliers. He retired as a player in 2017.
Daniel Hiram Gibson is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach and scout for the Cleveland Charge of the NBA G League. He was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2006 NBA draft and played seven seasons for them.
David Michael Blatt, is an Israeli-American professional basketball executive. He is also a former coach and player.
The 2007–08 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 38th season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers were the defending Eastern Conference champions, and were coming off of an NBA Finals defeat to the San Antonio Spurs, where they were swept in four games.
The Cleveland sports curse was a sports superstition involving the city of Cleveland, Ohio, and its major league professional sports teams, centered on the failure to win a championship in any major league sport for 52 years, from 1964 to 2016. Three major league teams based in Cleveland contributed to belief in the curse: the Browns of the National Football League (NFL); the Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA); and the then-Indians of Major League Baseball (MLB).
The 2006–07 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 37th season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. Led by 22-year old forward LeBron James, the Cavaliers finished the season with a 50–32 record, finishing second-place in the Central Division, winning their first Eastern Conference championship, and earning the franchise's first trip to the NBA Finals. During the season, the Cavaliers had the fourth best team defensive rating in the NBA.
The 2005–06 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 36th season of NBA basketball in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers finished the season with a 50–32 record, and a second-place finish in the Central Division, returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1998. In the playoffs, the Cavaliers defeated the Washington Wizards in six games in the first round and reached the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference where they lost in seven games to the Detroit Pistons. LeBron James was the team's leading scorer and was named to the All-NBA first team. He was also selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game where he won his first All-Star MVP.
The 2008–09 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 39th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They finished the regular season with 66 wins and 16 losses, the best record in the NBA, which easily surpassed the previous franchise best of 57–25 from the 1988–89 and 1991–92 seasons. LeBron James won his first MVP Award and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. The Cavaliers had the fourth best team offensive rating and the third best team defensive rating in the NBA.
The 2009–10 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 40th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Cavaliers finished with the best record in the NBA at 61–21, earning them first place in the East. The season saw LeBron James win the MVP Award for the second straight year. The Cavaliers had the fifth best team offensive rating in the NBA.
The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2014–15 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs played from June 4 to 16, 2015. It was contested by the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors and the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 2015 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2014–15 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeating the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Andre Iguodala was named NBA Finals MVP.
The Cleveland Cavaliers first began play in the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team under the ownership of Nick Mileti. Jerry Tomko, the father of future Major League Baseball pitcher Brett Tomko, submitted the winning entry to name the team the "Cavaliers" through a competition sponsored by The Plain Dealer; supporters preferred it to "Jays", "Foresters" and "Presidents". Playing their home games at Cleveland Arena under the direction of head coach Bill Fitch, they compiled a league-worst 15–67 record in their inaugural season. The team hoped to build around the number one 1971 draft pick Austin Carr, who had set numerous scoring records at Notre Dame, but Carr severely injured his leg shortly into his pro career and never was able to realize his potential.
The 2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers season was the 46th season of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA championship, the first NBA championship in franchise history. During the regular season, the Cavaliers had the third best team offensive rating and were tenth in team defensive rating in the NBA. During the playoffs, the Cavaliers had the best team offensive rating and were eighth in team defensive rating in the NBA.
The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the 2016 playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors four games to three in a rematch of the previous year's Finals. It was the 14th rematch of the previous NBA Finals in history, and the second straight rematch in back-to-back years, as the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs played each other in 2013 and 2014. The series was played from June 2 to 19.
The 2017 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2016–17 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers four games to one. This Finals was the first time in NBA history the same two teams had met for a third consecutive year. The Cavaliers sought to repeat as champions after winning the championship in 2016, while the Warriors won their first meeting in 2015. For the third straight year, Golden State earned home court advantage against Cleveland with a league-best record of 67–15. The Warriors entered the 2017 Finals after becoming the first team in NBA playoff history to start 12–0, while the Cavaliers entered the 2017 Finals with a 12–1 record during the first three rounds of the postseason. The Warriors' 15–0 start in the playoffs is the most consecutive postseason wins in NBA history and their 16–1 record is the best winning percentage (.941) in NBA playoff history. Golden State's Kevin Durant was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Kevin Durant won the Finals MVP award unanimously, receiving all 11 Finals MVP votes.
The 2018 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2017–18 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff, the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors swept the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers four games to zero. The Warriors became the 7th NBA franchise to win back-to-back championships, joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, and Miami Heat. This year's Finals was the first time in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues that the same two teams met for the championship four years in a row. Golden State Warriors small forward Kevin Durant was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second straight year. Kevin Durant became the first and only player ever in the history of the Warriors franchise to win two consecutive NBA Finals MVP Awards and also the first and only player ever in the history of the NBA to have been named two NBA Finals MVP in the first two seasons with a team.
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