Charles Jones (basketball, born 1962)
Encyclopedia
Charles Alexander Jones (born January 12, 1962) is a retired American basketball
player who played for four seasons in the National Basketball Association
. Primarily a forward, he played for the Phoenix Suns
, the Portland Trail Blazers
, and the Washington Bullets
during his NBA career.
Jones was born and raised in Scooba, Mississippi
, where he attended East Kemper High School. Jones went on to the University of Louisville
from 1980 to 1984, appearing in two Final Four
s with the school during his career. A role player at the school for much of his first three years, he averaged over eleven points and nearly ten rebounds in his senior year.
In the 1984 NBA Draft
, Jones was selected in the second round by the Phoenix Suns
. As a rookie, he appeared in 78 games, starting 14 of them, while averaging nearly eight-and-a-half points and over five rebounds per game. In his second season, he played in only 43 games, while starting 18 of them, in a season which saw his per-game numbers go down. After the season, he was released by Phoenix.
After not being on a roster during most of the 1986-87 NBA season, Jones was signed to a contract by the Portland Trail Blazers
with two games remaining in their season. He did not make an appearance with the Blazers during those final two games, nor during the postseason. He remained on the Blazers' roster for the 1987-88 season, but appeared sparingly, averaging only five minutes per game. At the end of the season, Portland released Jones.
In October 1988, Jones signed a contract with the Washington Bullets
. To avoid confusion with the Bullets' starting center also named Charles Jones, he was known as Charles A. Jones while in Washington. He was waived at the end of the preseason, but was re-signed in December. As a Bullet, he appeared in 43 games, primarily serving as the team's 12th man. After a season in Washington, he went to Europe and played two seasons of basketball in Italy before retiring from the sport.
After retiring from basketball, Jones moved to the Louisville
area and became an officer with the Louisville Metro Police Department
.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who played for four seasons in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Primarily a forward, he played for the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
, the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
, and the Washington Bullets
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
during his NBA career.
Jones was born and raised in Scooba, Mississippi
Scooba, Mississippi
Scooba is a town in Kemper County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 632 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Scooba is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land....
, where he attended East Kemper High School. Jones went on to the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
from 1980 to 1984, appearing in two Final Four
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
s with the school during his career. A role player at the school for much of his first three years, he averaged over eleven points and nearly ten rebounds in his senior year.
In the 1984 NBA Draft
1984 NBA Draft
The 1984 NBA Draft was the 38th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on June 19, 1984 before the 1984–85 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft,...
, Jones was selected in the second round by the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
. As a rookie, he appeared in 78 games, starting 14 of them, while averaging nearly eight-and-a-half points and over five rebounds per game. In his second season, he played in only 43 games, while starting 18 of them, in a season which saw his per-game numbers go down. After the season, he was released by Phoenix.
After not being on a roster during most of the 1986-87 NBA season, Jones was signed to a contract by the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
with two games remaining in their season. He did not make an appearance with the Blazers during those final two games, nor during the postseason. He remained on the Blazers' roster for the 1987-88 season, but appeared sparingly, averaging only five minutes per game. At the end of the season, Portland released Jones.
In October 1988, Jones signed a contract with the Washington Bullets
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
. To avoid confusion with the Bullets' starting center also named Charles Jones, he was known as Charles A. Jones while in Washington. He was waived at the end of the preseason, but was re-signed in December. As a Bullet, he appeared in 43 games, primarily serving as the team's 12th man. After a season in Washington, he went to Europe and played two seasons of basketball in Italy before retiring from the sport.
After retiring from basketball, Jones moved to the Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
area and became an officer with the Louisville Metro Police Department
Louisville Metro Police Department
The Louisville Metro Police Department began operations on January 6, 2003, as part of the creation of the consolidated city-county government in Louisville, Kentucky. It was formed by the merger of the Jefferson County Police Department and the Louisville Division of Police. The Louisville Metro...
.