Larry Jones (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Larry Jones

Personal information
Born	(1942-09-22)September 22, 1942 Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Died	August 16, 2025(2025-08-16) (aged 82)
High school	East (Columbus, Ohio)
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
College	Toledo (1960–1964)
NBA Draft	1964 / Round: 3 / Pick: 20th overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Pro career	1964–1976
Coaching career	1976–1984
Career history
As player:
1964–1965	Philadelphia 76ers
1965	→Wilkes-Barre Barons
1965–1967	Wilkes-Barre Barons
1967–1970	Denver Rockets
1970–1972	Floridians
1972	Utah Stars
1972–1973	Dallas Chaparrals
1973–1974	Philadelphia 76ers
1975	Munich Eagles
1975–1976	Wilkes-Barre Barons
As coach:
1976–1978	Detroit Pistons (assistant)
1978–1979	Las Vegas Dealers
1982–1983	Franklin
1984	Columbus Minks
Career highlights and awards
4× ABA All-Star (1968–1971) 3× All-ABA First Team (1968–1970) All-EPBL Second Team (1966) First-team All-MAC (1962) Second-team All-MAC (1961)
Career NBA and ABA statistics
Points	10,505 (19.1 ppg)
Rebounds	2,725 (4.9 rpg)
Assists	2,030 (3.7 apg)

Larry R. Jones (born September 22, 1942, died August 16, 2025) was a talented American professional basketball player. He was best known for his time in the American Basketball Association (ABA). In the ABA, he made history as the first player to score 5,000 points in his career! He also played for a short time in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

College Basketball Journey

Larry Jones started playing basketball regularly for East High in Columbus, Ohio, during his final year. Even though he was 6 feet 2 inches tall, some bigger colleges thought he wasn't quite big enough. But the University of Toledo saw his talent and recruited him in 1960. He played for them in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Toledo's coach, Ed Melvin, changed Larry's position to a guard. This helped Larry become a very important player for the Toledo Rockets. In 1962, all the coaches in the MAC chose him for the All-MAC First Team. He had been on the Second Team the year before.

In December 1962, Larry hurt his wrist during a game. He had scored 35 points, but it turned out his wrist was broken. Because of this, he had to take a break from playing for the rest of the 1962–63 season. This is called a "redshirt" year, which means he didn't play but could still play another year later.

A year later, in December 1963, Larry helped Toledo achieve a huge win against New York University, which was ranked second in the country at the time. Coach Melvin called him an amazing all-around player. Larry was great at getting rebounds, setting up plays, scoring, and playing defense. He was averaging over 27 points in his games that season.

Larry was the captain of the Toledo team and their second-highest scorer ever. In January 1964, he broke a knuckle after falling on ice. Later, he faced a temporary suspension for reasons that were not made public. However, everything was cleared up, and he was able to play the last two games of the season. In 1964, he was recognized as an honorable mention All-American.

Professional Basketball Career

Starting Out in the NBA and EPBL (1964–1967)

Larry Jones was first chosen by an NBA team, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the 1963 draft. But he decided to play one more year in college. Then, in the 1964 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers picked him.

During the 1964–65 season, the Sixers sent Larry to play for the Wilkes-Barre Barons in a league called the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL). He scored about 20 points per game there. Later, he was called back to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. After that NBA season, he was released by the team.

From 1965 to 1967, Larry continued to play for the Wilkes-Barre Barons in the EPBL. He was even named to the All-EPBL Second Team in 1966, showing he was one of the best players in that league.

Becoming an ABA Star with the Denver Rockets (1967–1970)

In 1967, a new basketball league started called the American Basketball Association (ABA). Larry reached out to all the teams, and the Denver Rockets were the ones who signed him.

Larry quickly became a huge star in the ABA because of his amazing jump shots. He was chosen for the All-ABA First Team three years in a row, from 1967 to 1970. He even scored 30 points or more in 23 games in a row during one season!

On March 21, 1969, Larry scored 52 points in a game against the Houston Mavericks. This was a record for his team. In that same game, he became the first ABA player to score over 2,000 points in a single season! He ended that season as the league's top scorer with 2,133 points.

Larry made history again on January 15, 1970, when he became the first player in the ABA to reach 5,000 career points. He scored 23 points in a game against the Dallas Chaparrals to reach this amazing milestone.

In the 1970 ABA All-Star Game, Larry was the top scorer with 30 points. He also had 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He was a leader for the players, making sure their voices were heard. Even though he scored a lot, his teammate Spencer Haywood won the MVP award for that game.

Larry was traded to the Floridians in June 1970. He had been a key player for the Denver Rockets, averaging 25.4 points and 4.2 assists in his regular-season games with them.

Moving Through the ABA (1970–1973)

Larry joined the Floridians, a team that was rebuilding its roster. He and his teammate Mack Calvin formed a powerful scoring duo. Together, they averaged 51.5 points per game in the 1970–71 season, which was one of the highest scoring duos in professional basketball history!

He averaged over 20 points for the Floridians over two seasons, and they made it to the playoffs both times. However, the team faced challenges, and the ABA eventually decided to close the club. In a special draft, where players from closed teams were chosen by other teams, the Utah Stars picked Larry.

Larry's time with the Utah Stars was short. He was traded to the Dallas Chaparrals in December. On February 11, 1973, Larry reached another big milestone: 10,000 career ABA points! He was the fourth player in the league to achieve this. In that game, he scored 30 points, helping the Chaparrals win in overtime.

After that season, Larry was released by the Chaparrals.

Back to the NBA and Playing Overseas (1973–1975)

Larry considered stopping his basketball career to focus on his studies. But then, Gene Shue, the coach of his old NBA team, the Philadelphia 76ers, offered him a chance to return. The Sixers had a very tough season before, winning only 9 games. Larry wanted to prove he could still play at a high level.

He helped the Sixers improve, scoring double-digit points in many games. He even scored a career-best 22 points in an NBA game against the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. He finished the 1973–74 NBA season averaging 10 points per game. He was released by the Sixers in October 1974.

In November, Larry decided to play overseas. He joined the Munich Eagles in Germany, where he was both a player and a coach. He was one of the best players in that league, scoring 23 points per game and leading the league with 7 assists per game. The league ended early in March.

Larry played one more game for the Wilkes-Barre Barons in 1975–76 before fully retiring as a player.

Coaching and Leadership Roles

After playing, Larry Jones became a basketball coach. His first coaching experience was with the Munich Eagles in Germany, where he was a player-coach.

In 1976, he joined the Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach in the NBA. He stayed with the Pistons for two seasons.

Larry then became the head coach for the Las Vegas Dealers in the Western Basketball Association during its first season in 1978–79. After that, he worked as a director for the Women's Professional Basketball League until it closed in 1981.

He also coached at Franklin University during the 1982–83 season. Later, he coached a women's basketball team from his hometown, the Columbus Minks, in the Women's American Basketball Association (WABA) in 1984. He even coached the All-Star team in the WABA's final game.

Life Beyond the Court

After his basketball career, Larry Jones continued to help his community. He worked as a state official in Columbus.

Larry was married and had two daughters and one son. He loved giving back, so he ran free summer basketball camps for young people in his hometown. He often talked about how his high school coach, Jackie Moore, helped him become a better student. Larry wanted to inspire other young people in the same way.

He also worked as a substitute teacher and earned a master's degree in education from Ohio State University.

In 2011, Larry Jones was honored for his amazing career by being inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.

Larry Jones passed away on August 16, 2025, at the age of 82.

Career statistics

NBA/ABA

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Larry Jones para niños