Jimmy Jones (basketball)

Last updated

Jimmy Jones
Jimmy Jones basketball.jpeg
Personal information
Born (1945-01-01) January 1, 1945 (age 80)
Tallulah, Louisiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight188 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High schoolMcCall (Tallulah, Louisiana)
College Grambling State (1963–1967)
NBA draft 1967: 2nd round, 13th overall pick
Selected by the Baltimore Bullets
Playing career1967–1977
Position Point guard / shooting guard
Number15
Career history
19671971 New Orleans Buccaneers / Memphis Pros
19711974 Utah Stars
19741977 Washington Bullets
Career highlights and awards
Career ABA and NBA statistics
Points 11,366 (16.3 ppg)
Rebounds 2,930 (4.6 rpg)
Assists 3,069 (4.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Stats at Basketball Reference

James Jones (born January 1, 1945) [1] is an American former professional basketball player who was a six-time All-Star in the American Basketball Association (ABA), one of only four players to be named an ABA All-Star six times in its nine-year history.

Contents

A 6'4" guard born in Tallulah, Louisiana, Jones attended Grambling State University. [1]

Playing career

Jones was drafted by the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Baltimore Bullets in 1967. [1] Jones was also drafted by the New Orleans Buccaneers in the 1967 ABA Draft. [1]

Since he was not a number one draft choice in the NBA, he began his professional career in the rival ABA where he was a number one draft choice, playing seven seasons for the New Orleans Buccaneers/Memphis Pros and Utah Stars. Jones was one of the ABA's best players, averaging 19.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds during his seven years in that league. Jones finally joined the Bullets franchise in 1974, appearing in three seasons before retiring in 1977.

ABA and NBA career statistics

Legend
  GPGames 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
BoldDenotes career highs

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1967–68 New Orleans (ABA) 7841.7.467.222.7095.72.318.8
1968–69 New Orleans (ABA) 7741.4.535*.143.8055.75.726.6
1969–70 New Orleans (ABA) 7035.9.497.000.8104.54.920.7
1970–71 Memphis (ABA) 8037.6.486.571.7784.85.919.6
1971–72 Utah (ABA) 7837.2.512.167.7794.86.215.5
1972–73 Utah (ABA) 8035.6.523.000.7994.25.616.7
1973–74 Utah (ABA) 8338.1.550.000.884*4.35.21.90.416.8
1974–75 Washington 7319.5.518.7255.21.91.00.17.1
1975–76 Washington 6417.7.497.7662.01.90.50.15.9
1976–77 Washington 311.0.333.5001.30.30.70.02.0
Career68634.2.509.250.7854.34.51.20.216.6

Playoffs

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1968 New Orleans (ABA) 1746.2.457.000.7376.93.322.1
1969 New Orleans (ABA) 1140.5.552.000.7615.35.430.2
1971 Memphis (ABA) 432.5.500.6806.03.816.3
1972 Utah (ABA) 1139.5.541.7144.06.321.0
1973 Utah (ABA) 1031.6.492.7954.14.316.3
1974 Utah (ABA) 1841.2.577.000.7764.85.41.50.320.8
1975 Washington 1118.7.453.9092.01.91.50.16.2
1976 Washington 723.6.489.8572.02.41.40.08.9
Career8936.2.517.000.7584.64.21.50.218.8

Legacy

Among the most underrated players of his day, Jones was once called "the most deserving ABA candidate remaining" of players from his ABA playing days to not currently be in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Of the four six-time ABA All-Stars, Jones is the only one not in the Hall as of 2025. [2] In 2013, he was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. [3]

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