Robert Clyde Jones (born December 18, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Denver Nuggets in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Secretary of Defense", Jones won an NBA championship with the 76ers in 1983, was a four-time NBA All-Star, a nine-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team, and was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1983. In 2019, Jones was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. When he was in the sixth grade, they moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they settled down.
As a child, Jones often spent his days watching television, describing himself as a "couch potato". J.R. then made him play on the church's league basketball team. When he was in sixth grade, his father built a basketball court. When his father was away working for Goodyear, he would assign them drills to work on. One of those drills was shooting right-handed, despite being left-handed. He would do his drills during commercials. Eventually, he grew to enjoy the drills.
High school career
Jones attended South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, where played basketball and competed in track and field. His brother Kirby had also previously played for South Mecklenburg before playing for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Jones preferred track and field, because he could practice by himself on his own terms. He was a two-time state champion in the high jump, finishing second his junior year to future North Carolina teammate and fellow NBA Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo. Despite his track and field success, his father pushed him to pursue basketball. Still, with all of his success in the sport, Jones did not think much about a future in it, but decided to pursue a basketball scholarship help pay for his education., which included Bill Guthridge and John Lotz. allowing him to learn defensive skills from Smith and Guthridge. (where they fell to the Florida State Seminoles).
After his time with the U.S. national basketball team, Jones started the gesture of pointing to teammates who passed him the ball to create a scoring opportunity, whether he made the shot or not. Coach Smith called the show of appreciation to his teammates "The Bobby Jones Rule". In his junior season, he averaged 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. Jones ended his career with averages of 13.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 60.8% from the field; he graduated with his psychology degree.
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. Meanwhile, the Cougars franchise (then known as the Spirits of St. Louis), still held onto his ABA draft rights. Jones chose to join Denver, as he would have more playing time there. 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. However, Denver lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Western Division Finals.
In the 1975–76 season, the ABA's last, 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. Jones 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. 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.
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. Denver won their division once again. However, due to the phenobarbital he was taking for his epilepsy, his performance dipped in the playoffs, and the Nuggets were eliminated in six games by the Seattle Supersonics in the Western Conference finals.
Denver management feared Jones would be limited by his health problems, as his epilepsy was getting worse throughout the season.
Philadelphia 76ers (1978–1986)
1978–1979: First season
After the 1977–78 campaign Jones was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers alongside Ralph Simpson for forward George McGinnis with both teams exchanging draft picks and both Jones and McGinnis waiving their no-trade clauses. 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.
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.
thumb|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 won the Eastern conference championship but lost in the 1980 NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games that season. He was an All-Star again that season. 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.
1982–1983: Championship season
The arrival of star center Moses Malone from Houston for Caldwell Jones prior to the 1982–83 campaign was seen as a gamechanger for the Sixers' title hopes. 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." In Game 2, he had a crucial block on Brian Winters that helped seal the win for the 76ers.
1983–1986: Final seasons
The Sixers began a steady decline after that championship year, finishing second to Boston the next three seasons. While Jones continued to play steady defense, his offense began a gradual tail-off with reduced playing time and productivity. In the 1985–86 season Jones only averaged 6.6 points per game despite returning to the starting lineup, but still shot a highly efficient .559 from the floor. That season, Philadelphia was eliminated by the Bucks in the playoffs.
Jones retired shortly afterward, on November 7, 1986, at age 34. The Sixers retired his uniform No. 24.
In his 12-year professional career, Jones was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight times and the Second Team twice; earned the first-ever NBA Sixth Man Award; was on the ABA All-Rookie Team; was a four-time NBA All-Star and one time in the ABA; and won an NBA Championship with the Philadelphia 76ers, in 1983. Over his career, he averaged 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds, and his teams never missed the playoffs. After making sure Jones was healthy (as he was recovering from a seizure at the time) he invited him to the tryouts. In his NBA career, he made the top 20 in defensive rating six times. 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%. This was good for him as it allowed him to scout the opposition and conserve energy for late-game situations. 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." As a result, referees would respect him and more calls would go their way. Referee Joey Crawford said that Jones "was the most polite player" he ever dealt with. In his Naismith Hall of Fame speech, he gave credit to the referees.
Regular season
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Year
!Team
!<abbr>GP</abbr>
!<abbr>GS</abbr>
!<abbr>MPG</abbr>
!<abbr>FG%</abbr>
!<abbr>3P%</abbr>
!<abbr>FT%</abbr>
!<abbr>RPG</abbr>
!<abbr>APG</abbr>
!<abbr>SPG</abbr>
!<abbr>BPG</abbr>
!<abbr>PPG</abbr>
|-
|1974–75
|Denver (ABA)
|style="background:#cfecec;"|84*
|—
|32.2
|style="background:#E0CEF2; width:3em"|.604
|.000
|.695
|8.2
|3.6
|2.0
|1.8
|14.8
|-
|1975–76
|Denver (ABA)
|83
|—
|34.3
|style="background:#cfecec;"|.581*
|—
|.698
|9.5
|4.0
|2.0
|2.2
|14.9
|-
|1976–77
|Denver (NBA)
|82
|82
|29.5
|.570
|—
|.717
|8.3
|3.2
|2.3
|2.0
|15.1
|-
|1977–78
|Denver (NBA)
|75
|—
|32.5
|style="background:#cfecec;"|.578*
|—
|.751
|8.5
|3.4
|1.8
|1.7
|14.5
|-
|1978–79
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|80
|78
|28.8
|.537
|—
|.755
|6.6
|2.5
|1.3
|1.2
|12.1
|-
|1979–80
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|81
|3
|26.2
|.532
|.000
|.781
|5.6
|1.8
|1.3
|1.5
|13.0
|-
|1980–81
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|81
|0
|25.3
|.539
|.000
|.813
|5.4
|2.8
|1.2
|.9
|13.5
|-
|1981–82
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|76
|73
|28.7
|.564
|.000
|.790
|5.2
|2.5
|1.3
|1.5
|14.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1982–83†
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|74
|0
|23.6
|.543
|.000
|.793
|4.6
|1.9
|1.1
|1.2
|9.0
|-
|1983–84
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|75
|0
|23.5
|.523
|.000
|.784
|4.3
|2.5
|1.4
|1.4
|8.3
|-
|1984–85
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|80
|8
|20.4
|.538
|.000
|.861
|3.7
|1.9
|1.1
|.6
|7.5
|-
|1985–86
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|70
|42
|21.7
|.559
|.000
|.786
|2.4
|1.8
|.7
|.7
|7.0
|-
| colspan="2" |Career ABA
|167
|
|33.2
|style="background:#E0CEF2; width:3em"|.592
|.000
|.697
|8.9
|3.8
|2.0
|2.0
|14.9
|-
| colspan="2" |Career NBA
|774
|286
|26.1
|.550
|.000
|.780
|5.5
|2.4
|1.4
|1.3
|11.5
|-
| colspan="2" |Career total
|941
|286
|27.3
|.560
|.000
|.766
|4.2
|2.7
|1.5
|1.4
|12.1
|-
| colspan="2" |All-Star NBA
|4
|1
|22.8
|.486
|.000
|.714
|8.0
|2.3
|.5
|.8
|11.0
|}
Playoffs
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Year
!Team
!<abbr>GP</abbr>
!<abbr>GS</abbr>
!<abbr>MPG</abbr>
!<abbr>FG%</abbr>
!<abbr>3P%</abbr>
!<abbr>FT%</abbr>
!<abbr>RPG</abbr>
!<abbr>APG</abbr>
!<abbr>SPG</abbr>
!<abbr>BPG</abbr>
!<abbr>PPG</abbr>
|-
|1974–75
|Denver (ABA)
|13
|—
|32.9
|.535
|.000
|.775
|8.5
|2.9
|.9
|.9
|13.0
|-
|1975–76
|Denver (ABA)
| style="background:#cfecec;" |13
|—
|33.2
|.583
|—
|.732
|8.6
|4.5
|1.2
|1.5
|13.7
|-
|1976–77
|Denver (NBA)
|6
|—
|31.2
|.484
|—
|.588
|5.8
|3.5
|2.8
|2.3
|12.0
|-
|1977–78
|Denver (NBA)
|13
|—
|30.0
|.569
|—
|.739
|7.8
|2.7
|1.2
|.7
|12.8
|-
|1978–79
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|9
|—
|28.9
|.552
|—
|.846
|4.8
|2.1
|.6
|.4
|13.1
|-
|1979–80
|Philadelphia (NBA)
| style="background:#cfecec;" |18
|—
|26.1
|.523
|.000
|.855
|4.8
|1.7
|1.2
|1.8
|12.9
|-
|1980–81
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|16
|—
|27.7
|.506
|—
|.830
|5.5
|2.1
|1.1
|1.3
|14.7
|-
|1981–82
|Philadelphia (NBA)
| style="background:#cfecec;" |21
|—
|28.0
|.540
|—
|.840
|4.7
|2.5
|.7
|1.0
|12.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;" |1982–83†
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|12
|—
|27.0
|.551
|.000
|.850
|4.8
|2.8
|1.3
|1.5
|8.6
|-
|1983–84
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|5
|—
|26.0
|.484
|—
|.947
|4.6
|1.8
|.6
|1.4
|9.6
|-
|1984–85
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|13
|11
|23.8
|.590
|—
|.700
|3.7
|1.2
|.9
|1.5
|8.2
|-
|1985–86
|Philadelphia (NBA)
|12
|5
|27.4
|.527
|.000
|.760
|2.7
|2.8
|.8
|1.3
|9.7
|-
| colspan="2" |Career ABA
|26
|
|33.0
|.559
|.000
|.753
|8.6
|3.7
|1.1
|1.2
|13.3
|-
| colspan="2" |Career NBA
|125
|16
|27.4
|.535
|.000
|.809
|4.9
|2.3
|1.1
|1.2
|11.6
|-
| colspan="2" |Career total
|151
|16
|28.4
|.540
|.000
|.800
|5.5
|2.5
|1.1
|1.2
|11.9
|}
Endorsements
Jones endorsed Nike throughout his career. In 1982, Jones was one of the first athletes to wear Nike's Air Force 1 sneakers. Nike also made a marketing campaign around him, which included a poster that dubbed him "The Secretary of Defense".
Post-retirement
In 1988, Billy Cunningham, who had just helped establish the Miami Heat, attempted to persuade Jones to play for Heat. After a physical and a scrimmage, he decided against returning. He also stays in touch with the 76ers organization and is often invited to speak to the team.
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. At Carmel Christian, he also coached their tennis team, held basketball clinics there, and was their summer camp coordinator.
Personal life
Jones is married and he and his wife have three children and seven grandchildren. He also suffered from a heart ailment, but after he was traded to Philadelphia, it never reoccurred again. 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. Throughout his ordeal with epilepsy, he credits his faith for helping him get through it.
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. In 2018, a statue of him was unveiled at the Sixers' training complex. It shows him diving for a loose ball. On November 11, 2010, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. In 2015, he was inducted into the FCA's Hall of Fame. On April 6, 2019, he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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".
See also
- List of NBA career field goal percentage leaders
- Basketball at the 1972 Summer Olympics