Damon Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Damon Jones

Jones with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2006
Personal information
Born	(1976-08-25) August 25, 1976 (age 48) Galveston, Texas, U.S.
High school	Ball (Galveston, Texas)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College	Houston (1994–1997)
NBA Draft	1997 / Undrafted
Pro career	1997–2012
Coaching career	2015–2018
Career history
As player:
1997–1998	Black Hills Posse
1998	Jacksonville Barracudas
1998–1999	Idaho Stampede
1999	New Jersey Nets
1999	Boston Celtics
1999	Golden State Warriors
1999–2000	Dallas Mavericks
2000	Gulf Coast Sun Dogs
2000–2001	Vancouver Grizzlies
2001–2002	Detroit Pistons
2002–2003	Sacramento Kings
2003–2004	Milwaukee Bucks
2004–2005	Miami Heat
2005–2008	Cleveland Cavaliers
2008–2009	Milwaukee Bucks
2009	NSB Napoli
2010	Piratas de Quebradillas
2011	Bucaneros de La Guaira
2012	Reno Bighorns
As coach:
2015–2016	Canton Charge (assistant)
2016–2018	Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player: All-CBA First Team (1999) CBA Newcomer of the Year (1999) CBA scoring champion (1999) IBA Sixth Man of the Year (1998) As assistant coach: NBA champion (2016)
Career NBA statistics
Points	4,326 (6.6 ppg)
Rebounds	1,074 (1.6 rpg)
Assists	1,806 (2.7 apg)

Damon Darron Jones (born August 25, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent most of his career playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Damon was a "combo guard," meaning he could play both point guard and shooting guard. He played college basketball for three years at the University of Houston before trying for the 1997 NBA draft. Even though he wasn't chosen in the draft, he went on to have a long career. After he stopped playing, Jones became a coach for the Cavaliers.

Damon Jones: Early Life

Damon Jones grew up playing basketball for the Golden Tornadoes team at Ball High School in Galveston, Texas. After finishing high school in 1994, he continued his basketball journey at the University of Houston.

Damon Jones's Basketball Journey

Damon Jones was known as a "journeyman" in basketball. This means he played for many different teams throughout his career. He never stayed with one team for more than a year, except for his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008. In total, he played for ten different teams during his career.

Jones was especially good at making three-point field goals. Most of his shots were from beyond the three-point line. His job was often to wait for teammates like Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, or LeBron James to draw attention from defenders. This would leave Damon open for a shot. He was very confident in his shooting, once saying he was "the best shooter in the world."

Starting His Career

Before joining the NBA, Jones played for the Idaho Stampede in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) during the 1998–99 season. He was recognized as the CBA Newcomer of the Year. He was also named to the All-CBA First Team, showing he was one of the best players in the league.

His Best Season: 2004-2005

Before the 2004–2005 season, Jones signed a contract with the Miami Heat. This turned out to be his best season ever! He set new personal records for games started, minutes played, and points scored.

He made 225 three-point shots that season, which was the third-highest in the NBA. His three-point shooting percentage was also among the top five. On February 16, 2005, he scored a career-high 31 points against the Los Angeles Clippers. He scored ten or more points in 48 games that season.

In the playoffs, Jones continued to play well. He averaged 12.1 points per game and shot 42.9% from three-point range. He scored a playoff career-high of 30 points in a game against the New Jersey Nets.

Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Damon Jones joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in September 2005. In his first season (2005–06), he averaged 6.7 points per game. On March 8, 2006, Jones made a game-winning three-point shot right as time ran out. This shot gave the Cavaliers a 98–97 victory against the Toronto Raptors.

In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Jones helped the Cavaliers win their first-round series. In Game 6 against the Washington Wizards, he hit a game-winning shot in overtime. This sent the Cavaliers to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

During the 2006–2007 season, Jones averaged 6.6 points per game. He was chosen to be in the Three-Point Shootout during the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend. This event tests who can make the most three-point shots. Jones finished in fifth place.

He continued to play for the Cavaliers in the 2007–2008 season. He averaged 6.4 points and shot 41.7% from three-point range.

Moving to the Milwaukee Bucks

On August 13, 2008, Jones was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. This trade involved three teams and six players. He played 18 games for the Bucks during the 2008–2009 season.

Short Stints Abroad

In 2010, Jones signed with the Piratas de Quebradillas in Puerto Rico. He played only four games before being released. In 2011, he tried to play in Turkey for Aliağa Petkim, but he didn't pass the physical test. After a short time with the Reno Bighorns in the NBA Development League, Jones decided to retire from playing basketball in 2012.

From Player to Coach

After his playing career, Damon Jones moved into coaching. In 2014, he joined the coaching staff for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He worked as a "shooting consultant," helping players improve their shooting skills. He also worked with the Cavaliers' minor league team, the Canton Charge.

During the 2015–16 season, Jones was an assistant coach for the Canton Charge. In April 2016, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue added Jones to his coaching staff for the 2016 NBA playoffs. The Cavaliers went on to win the championship that year. They beat the Golden State Warriors in seven games, making history as the first team to come back from a 3–1 deficit in the finals. In September 2016, Jones became a full-time assistant coach for the Cavaliers.

Amazing Achievements

Damon Jones achieved several impressive things during his career:

• In the 2004–2005 season, he ranked third in the NBA for three-point field goals made (225).
• He also ranked fifth in the NBA for three-point field goal percentage (43.2%) in the same season.
• He led the NBA in "True Shooting Percentage" (62.5%) in 2004–2005. This stat measures a player's overall shooting efficiency.

Damon's Life Off the Court

Beyond basketball, Damon Jones studied sociology at the University of Houston. On January 10, 2006, he made history by becoming the first NBA player to sign a contract with a Chinese shoe company, Li-Ning. Damon Jones also has a child with former WNBA star and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame member Tina Thompson.

Damon Jones's Stats

Here are some of Damon Jones's career statistics from the NBA regular season and playoffs.

Regular season

Playoffs

Images for kids

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See also

In Spanish: Damon Jones para niños