Lamarr Fields | April 6th, 2019
Eddie Jones played his college basketball career at the University of Temple. Jones played under the tutelage of Head Coach John Chaney. While at Temple, Jones was the 1993-94 Atlantic-10 Player of the year and led the Owls to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament.
In the 1994 NBA draft, Eddie Jones was drafted 10th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. In his rookie season with the Lakers, Jones averaged 14.0 points and two steals per game. He also made the All-NBA Rookie team and won the MVP of the rookie game scoring 25 points.
After Eddie Jones’ second season he had to switch his number for 25 to 6 because the Lakers retired Gail Goodrich number 25. In the 1997 season, Jones started coming into his own as a player. In that season the Lakers had acquired center Shaquille O’Neal and Shooting Guard Kobe Bryant. Jones finished the season averaging 17.2 points per game and made his first all-star game appearance
In 1998 Jones made the All-Star team again averaging 16.9 points game and made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. That season the Lakers won 61 games but lost to the Jazz in the conference finals.
During the 1999 season, Eddie Jones was traded to the Charlotte Hornets. Elden Campbell and Jones were traded for Glen Rice, J.R. Reid, and B.J. Armstrong. The Lakers needed shooting from Glen Rice, and Kobe Bryant was starting to become a force, so Jones had to be moved.
In Jones’ first full season with the Hornets, he had his best season in the NBA. He averaged 20.1 points per game and led the NBA in total steals. Also, Jones was voted in the starting line up for the All-Star game. The Hornets made the playoffs that season but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. At the end of the season was named to the All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive second team.
After his time with the Hornets, Jones was traded to the Miami Heat. The Former Laker and Hornets star played well for the Heat also. He averaged 17.4 points a game while playing consistently of both sides of the floor. The Heat won 50 games that season even with Alonzo Mourning out with his Kidney disease.
Eddie Jones played four more seasons with the Heat after that. The Heat acquired Shaq and drafted Dwyane Wade; Jones moved to small forward. The Heat came up short in the ’05 season, losing to the Detriot Pistons in Game 7 of the eastern conference finals. They went out to win the NBA finals the next year Jones was no longer on the team.
In 2005 Eddie Jones was traded again to Memphis Grizzlies for James Posey and Jason Williams. Jones’s play started to decline with the Grizzlies, but he was still effective averaging 11.8 points a game.
Jones finished his career in a stint back with the Miami Heat and then with the Dallas Mavericks.
Eddie Jones was a solid NBA player. He had size at 6’6 and was athletic. Also, Jones played some hard-nosed defense often guarding the opposing teams best player every night. When Jones got drafted by the Lakers, he had been compared to former Laker player Michael Cooper. I am a big Lakers fan, and Eddie Jones was one of my favorite Lakers growing up. I was kind of upset when he was traded, even though I understood it when Kobe Bryant was coming.
Questions and comments?
thescorecrowsports@gmail.com
Follow Us on Twitter @thescorecrow
Follow Us on Reddit at u/TheScorecrow
Follow Us on Facebook at The Scorecrow
Follow Us on Instagram at The Scorecrow
Follow Lamarr Fields on Twitter @Raiderway83
Main Credit Image: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjI2O6T6LrhAhUqSN8KHTZjCQgQMwg-KAEwAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lakersnation.com%2Fthis-day-lakers-history-eddie-jones-shaquille-oneal-team-up-game-1-victory-trail-blazers-playoffs%2F2018%2F04%2F24%2F&psig=AOvVaw0WOrt4LrtzA_M6OP4BwshD&ust=1554617642530768&ictx=3&uact=3
