Jamal Jones (basketball)
Jamal Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 17, 1993 Wynne, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Known for | Basketball career at Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and professional teams including Delaware 87ers, Lille Métropole, Kobrat, Scaligera Basket Verona, PAOK, Ionikos Nikaias, Bahçeşehir Koleji, Dinamo Sassari, Promitheas Patras |
Jamal Avery Jones (born February 17, 1993) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States. He competed at the collegiate level for both Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
Early life
Jones was born in Wynne, Arkansas and grew up in Searcy, Arkansas, where he attended Searcy High School. Over the course of three years, he experienced a growth spurt from 6 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 8 inches. During his junior year, he posted averages of 16.4 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals per game. Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Jones chose to commit to Ole Miss despite receiving offers from Arkansas State and Iowa State.
Ole Miss
Jones initiated his college basketball journey at Ole Miss but was dismissed after participating in five games due to a breach of team regulations.
Lee
Following his departure from Ole Miss, he enrolled at Lee College in Baytown, Texas, where he averaged 18 points and 5.3 rebounds during one season before deciding to transfer to Texas A&M.
Texas A&M
At Texas A&M, Jones led the team in scoring with an average of 13.4 points and also contributed 4.1 rebounds per game across 34 contests. Within the Southeastern Conference, his scoring average rose to 16 points per game. Upon completion of that season, he declared his intention to leave the program.
Delaware 87ers (first stint)
Jones opted not to utilize his remaining NCAA eligibility and entered the NBA Development League. He was selected in the second round of the 2014 NBA Development League draft by the Delaware 87ers. In his rookie campaign, he appeared in 46 games, averaging 7.8 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing approximately 21.1 minutes per contest.
Lille Métropole
After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft and participating with the Philadelphia 76ers' Summer League squad, Jones decided to explore international options rather than returning to the D-League. On August 3, 2015, he signed with Lille Métropole, competing in France's second-tier league, the LNB Pro B. During his time there, he posted averages of 13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists over 18 games before departing to rejoin the Delaware team.
Delaware 87ers (second stint)
Jones rejoined the Delaware 87ers for part of the 2016 season, appearing in 13 games with averages of 5.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. Although selected by the Windy City Bulls in the tenth round of the 2016 NBA Development League Expansion draft, he chose to continue his career overseas instead. Subsequently, on October 29, 2016, Windy City traded his international playing rights to the Northern Arizona Suns.
Kobrat
On August 11, 2016, Jones signed with Finnish club Kobrat, competing in the country's top league, Korisliiga. He emerged as the league's leading scorer by averaging 21.5 points per game while also contributing averages of 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 steals across a total of 39 contests.
Scaligera Basket Verona
Jones inked a deal with Italy’s Scaligera Basket Verona, part of the Serie A2 Basket, on July 9, 2017. Throughout his tenure there, he delivered consistent performances with averages of 14 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists over the course of 36 games.
PAOK
On July 4, 2018, Jones inked a deal with PAOK, competing in the Greek Basket League (GBL). In March 2019, he encountered cartilage damage in his right knee, which necessitated surgery that ended his season prematurely. During the 2018–19 campaign, he averaged 6.5 points over 12 appearances in the Basketball Champions League and contributed 7.7 points along with 3.1 rebounds across 13 GBL matches.
Ionikos Nikaias
For the 2019–2020 season, Jones stayed in Greece by signing with Ionikos Nikaias on June 25, 2019. Before his departure in January 2020, he recorded averages of 13.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists over the course of 15 games.
Bahçeşehir Koleji
Jones joined Turkish outfit Bahçeşehir Koleji on January 16, 2020. In seven Turkish League contests, he posted averages of 8.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, while in five Europe Cup games, he elevated his performance to average 13.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and one block per game. He renewed his contract for the subsequent 2020–21 season.
Dinamo Sassari
On June 19, 2022, Jones signed with Italian side Dinamo Sassari, competing in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).
Promitheas Patras
Jones made a return to Greek basketball by joining Promitheas Patras on August 31, 2023; however, due to personal family obligations overseas, he was temporarily replaced by Cameron Reynolds. His transfer was officially completed on December 3, 2023, when he took over from Artūrs Kurucs. On March 15, 2024, Jones was released after averaging 4.7 points per game in domestic league play and posting a scoring average of 7.8 points in the Basketball Champions League.