Bobby Ray Jones Jr. (born 9 January 1984) is an American-born naturalised-Equatorial Guinean professionalbasketball player who last played forScaligera Basket of the ItalianSerie A2. He notably played for anNBA record five different teams in a single season (2007–08), later moving to Italy to continue his career.
Jones played high school basketball withDominguez (Compton, California) for three years – playing alongsideTyson Chandler – before moving toLong Beach Polytechnic for his senior year amidst the controversial nomination ofMack Calvin as coach.[1]
He joined theUniversity of Washington, playing in thePacific-10 Conference of theNCAA Division I, in May 2002.[2]
Playing 27 games as a freshman, the last 15 as a starter, he averaged 4.1 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he was involved in 31 games (25 starts), posting averages of 11.2 points. His junior season saw him start all but one of the 34 games he played in, contributing 11.2 points and a team-best 5.6 rebounds for Washington as they won the2005 Pac-10 tournament for the first time.[3]
He averaged 10.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in his senior season. At the end of his Huskies career in 2006, Jones was ranked 20th among the school's all-time scorers with 1,226 career points and 4th in career steals with 134.His last collegiate game was theNABC College All-Star game.[4]
Jones was drafted by theMinnesota Timberwolves with the 37th pick in the second round of the2006 NBA draft on 28 June 2006, he was traded the same day to thePhiladelphia 76ers in exchange for a2007 second-round draft pick and cash considerations.[5]He was assigned to theFort Worth Flyers of theNBA Development League on 28 November, averaging 13.7 points and 8 rebounds in around 24 minutes per game over 3 games,[6] before being recalled on 8 December.[7]With the Sixers he would have 2.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in more than 7 minutes per game in theNBA over 44 appearances, with an end of season flourish of 13.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 31 minutes on average over the last four games of the season.[8]
On 10 September 2007, theDenver Nuggets announced they had traded for Jones andSteven Hunter in exchange ofReggie Evans andRicky Sanchez's draft rights.[8]He was waived by the Nuggets on 7 January 2008, having averaged 3.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 23 games.
TheMemphis Grizzlies signed Jones to a 10-day contract on 10 January 2008.[9]After posting 20 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists in a matchup with theSeattle SuperSonics, he was signed to another 10-day contract, the last one the Grizzlies could offer before signing for the season or releasing him.[10]
The Grizzlies did not offer Jones a new contract and he moved to D-League sideSioux Falls Skyforce, playing only two games.
Jones was called up by theHouston Rockets on 26 February 2008.[11]
Returning to the Skyforce after ten days passed, Jones played in one game before again being called back to the NBA.
Jones signed a 10-day contract with theMiami Heat on 12 March 2008.[12]Posting 8 points and 4 rebounds in nearly 24 minutes per game over six contests with Miami, including a team-high 15 points in his final game, was not enough to earn a contract extension.
Jones returned to the Skyforce at the expiry of his contract with the Heat.[13] He would play only two more games for the Skyforce.
Jones signed for his fifth NBA team ofthe season (by now a record), theSan Antonio Spurs, on 1 April 2008.[14]Right after that contract, on 11 April, Jones was re-signed by the Denver Nuggets on a deal until August, with a non-guaranteed option for the next season.[15]
On 28 July 2008, Jones was traded along withTaurean Green and 2010 draft second round pick for theNew York Knicks'Renaldo Balkman and cash considerations.[16] In effect he was just a bargaining chip in a salary dump by the Knicks, who – with 17 players compared to the league maximum of 15 – were widely expected to cut him, which happened the next day.[17]On 5 August 2008, he was claimed off waivers by the Miami Heat,[18] but afterYakhouba Diawara was signed at his position two days later, he was again waived on 15 August.[19]He joined theSacramento Kings' training camp on 30 September, before being waived again on 21 October.[20]Returning to the Sioux Falls Skyforce in November 2008,[21] he spent the 2008–09 D-League season with the team, finishing with 16.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in more than 34 minutes per game after playing 49 games.[6]
Jones played with thePortland Trail Blazers in theNBA Summer League from 13 to 19 July 2009, posting 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals in nearly 25 minutes per game.[22]He declared preferring an overseas move over another D-League contract if he did not make an NBA team by mid-to-late August,[23] which happened sooner as he signed a contract with ItalianSerie A sideBanca Tercas Teramo on 24 July 2009.[24]
His Teramo career started well as he scored a team-high 16 points in the 27 October game againstAPOEL, including two contest-winning free-throws with 5 seconds left to play, that helped the Italians reach the group stage of the European second-tierEurocup.[25]He finished the competition 12 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals over 27 minutes per game,[26] posting 11 points 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals in around 25 minutes per game domestically,[27] all the while mystifying observers by alternating great performances and apathetic no-shows.[28]
Despite having one-year left on his two-year contract with, Jones bemoaned his difficulties living abroad and adapting to the European game (especially officiating and training), publicly contemplating a departure.[29]He left Teramo but stayed in Italy and the Serie A, signing forFabi Shoes Montegranaro in July 2010.[30]Averaging 7.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2 steals in around 22 minutes per game,[27] Jones did not convince Montegranaro, who replaced him withRyan Toolson and released him in March 2011.[31]
Jones moved right after toFulgor Libertas Forlì of the second divisionLegaDue.Forlì – at the time battling to avoid relegation – won 8 of 9 games played after Jones' arrival to stave off relegation, with the American contributing 17.2 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals per game.[32]
Jones did not answer Forlì's attempts to extend his contract,[33] penning another with rival LegaDue sideGiorgio Tesi Group Pistoia in July 2011.[32]At first struggling with fouls, committing more (4.3) than any other player in the league at one stage, that limited his playing time,[34] Jones flourished after being repositioned as apower forward halfway through the season, augmenting his points and rebounds averages whilst diminishing his ejections (3 compared to 7 earlier in the season).[35]He averaged 14.4 points and 7.9 rebounds over the season,[36] with some decisive performances in the promotion playoffs to help Pistoia reach the finals againstEnel Brindisi, though they were thwarted in their efforts to earn the lone Serie A spot.[37] That was in spite of an incredible game 3 performance from Jones, that saw him contribute 31 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals while drawing 12 fouls to earn a game-highvalutation of 37, in a victory that kept the series alive at the time.[38]
Jones returned to the Serie A in all cases, signing a deal withAcea Roma on 26 July 2012.[36]Unequal performances saw him average 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds (with a receding 2.5 fouls) in around 19 minutes per game during the regular season.He had a more positive impact during theplayoffs, starting in the quarterfinal series againstTrendwalker Reggio Emilia, with 16 points and 9 rebounds coupled and a good defense onAndrea Cinciarini during game 3,[39] then 9 points and 10 rebounds for a+/- of +19 in the decisive game 7.[40]In the finals series againstMontepaschi Siena, he was determinant in a diverse way, scoring only 3 points but committing 4 fouls, including anunsportsmanlike foul when he held backDaniel Hackett by his jersey with only 41 seconds left in the game, which moved Siena's lead from 3 to an unassailable 7, as they claimed the title in the following game.[41]He ended the playoffs having played 19 matches in total, for 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in nearly 27 minutes on average.[27]
On 23 August 2013, Jones re-signed with Roma for another season.[42]Rome had expected him to acquireCotonou status (allowing him to haveEU status on the roster), however, Jones' efforts to acquire aDominican Republic passport were unsuccessful and he was not played by Rome to avoid going over the foreigner limit.[43]After acquiring a passport fromEquatorial Guinea, Jones played his first league game of the season on 10 November, posting 20 points (from 80% shooting accuracy), 4 rebounds and 1 assist to help a Rome side coming from two defeats beatCaserta.[44]The team's next game in theEurocup, in which Jones had been able to play earlier in the season, also saw him in good form, posting a team-high 19 points againstBonn (that proved to his season high in the competition, he averaged 8.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in nearly 22 minutes as Roma exited at the group stage).[45] In Serie A, Jones had a consistent2013–14 season, finishing with 11.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in nearly 28 minutes across 31 games,[27] as Roma's playoff run was again stopped by Montepaschi, this time in the semifinal, notwithstanding a good game 4 performance from Jones (18 points) that brought them their only win in the series.[46]
Jones was the only Virtus player reconfirmed the next year, as the cash-strapped club assembled a squad made of rookies and players unproven in the Serie A.[47]The team predictably struggled, with Jones one of few to perform well,[48] he was singled out by theLa Gazzetta dello Sport as one of the unrehalded key men of the league (and one of the best defenders).[49]He was also decisive in the Italians'Eurocup campaign where his good output, including a 19 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists game againstNymburk that gave him aPIR of 36,[50] helped them reach the Last 32.This streak continued in that round, with Jones contributing 8 rebounds and 18 points, of which athree-point play that sent the game to overtime, as Roma beatKrasny Oktyabr on their way to the Eighthfinals.[51]His form dipped afterwards, he had little impact in the Eighthfinals defeat toBanvit,[52] before a hand fracture ended his season in mid-April, leaving Rome short of his leadership and defense.[53]His average statistics at the end of the season read: 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals in nearly 29 minutes in the Serie A,[27] 11.1 points, 4.6 rebounds 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals over 27 minutes in the Eurocup.[54]
With Roma reported to have opted out of the second year on his contract,[55] Jones became a free agent, signing with fellow Serie A side Juvecaserta for the 2015–16 season on 7 August 2015.[56]
On 13 July 2016,Unione Cestistica Casalpusterlengo was reported to have signed Jones.[57] On 15 March 2017, Jones was reported to have parted-way withUnione Cestistica Casalpusterlengo.[58]
On 9 July 2017,Pallacanestro Mantovana was reported to have signed Jones.[59]
On 28 September 2018,NPC Rieti was reported to have signed Jones.[60]
Jones started off the 2019–20 season with theKumamoto Vorters.[61]
On 2 December 2019, Jones signed withRoseto Sharks of the ItalianSerie A2.[62]
On 9 January 2020, Jones signed withScaligera Basket of the ItalianSerie A2.[63]
Whilst at Washington, Jones was part of the United States representative national team that went to the2005 Summer Universiade, played inİzmir (Turkey) that August.He averaged 2.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1 assist and steal apiece off the bench as the unbeaten U.S. team took home gold.[64]
| 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 |
Source.[65]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Philadelphia | 44 | 5 | 7.6 | .462 | .111 | .561 | 1.3 | .4 | .3 | .0 | 2.5 |
| 2007–08 | Denver | 25 | 0 | 8.9 | .406 | .391 | .821 | 1.5 | .4 | .2 | .0 | 3.4 |
| Memphis | 9 | 2 | 15.2 | .389 | .231 | .900 | 3.0 | 1.2 | .6 | .2 | 4.4 | |
| Houston | 4 | 0 | 2.3 | .500 | .000 | .000 | .3 | .0 | .2 | .0 | 1.0 | |
| Miami | 6 | 0 | 23.8 | .531 | .400 | .615 | 4.0 | .8 | .3 | .0 | 8.0 | |
| San Antonio | 3 | 0 | 6.7 | .250 | .000 | .000 | .7 | .3 | .7 | .0 | .7 | |
| Career | 91 | 7 | 9.5 | .442 | .306 | .685 | 1.6 | .5 | .3 | .0 | 3.2 | |
In his third year playing basketball in Italy, Jones wrote a post to his blog, Bobby's World, called "The Overseas Basketball Life: Part 1." This entry detailed the reality of his experience playing ball and living abroad. For "Part 2," he found that he had too much to say - and so he decided to create a movie. Tens of thousands of dollars spent, countless hours worked, and two years later, Basketball Jones: The Overseas Journey was finished, a 90-minutedocumentary about the 2,000 "job openings" filled annually byexpatriate American ballers overseas. Basketball Jones explores why some players can make it abroad while others cannot, told through the testimonials of nine American basketball players. Jones has screened Basketball Jones at hisalma materLong Beach Poly in Los Angeles, in Rome, and in Seattle in July 2015.[66][67]
· Basketball Reference Retrieved 8 August 2015
