Mark Jones (sportscaster) facts for kids

Mark Vernon Jones is a well-known Canadian sportscaster. He works for major sports channels like ABC and ESPN. Mark is also the main voice for Sacramento Kings basketball games on NBC Sports California. He joined the ESPN team in 1990. Before that, he worked for The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada. You can often hear him calling college football and NBA games.

Mark Jones's Story

Mark Jones was born on November 16, 1961. He grew up loving sports.

His Basketball Days

Mark Jones went to York University and was a talented basketball player. He helped his team win three Ontario Universities Athletics Association (OUAA) championships. These wins happened in 1981, 1984, and 1985.

During his time playing, Mark was one of the best players in the OUAA. He was named a second-team all-star in both 1984 and 1985. In 1986, he earned a first-team all-star award. Mark was a great guard for his team, the Yeomen. He is still one of the top five players in his school's history for total assists and steals. In 2016, he was honored by being added to York's Sport Hall of Fame.

His Broadcasting Journey

Before joining ESPN, Mark Jones worked at The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada. From 1986 to 1990, he was an anchor. He also hosted a show about the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

Mark started his ESPN career as the host of NBA Today. This was a weekly show about the NBA. He often ended the show by pretending to shoot a basketball as the lights went out.

Today, Mark Jones is a play-by-play announcer for NBA games. He works with different expert commentators. Some of these include Jon Barry, Hubie Brown, Jay Bilas, P.J. Carlesimo, Doris Burke, and Bob Myers. He used to work with Bill Walton and Doug Collins.

Mark was also the main host of KIA NBA Shootaround. This was ESPN's pregame show. On the show, he would discuss NBA topics with Bill Walton and Stephen A. Smith. Sometimes, Mark also reported from the sidelines during NBA games.

Until 2023, Mark was the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC's NBA Sunday Showcase. He worked with Doris Burke on this show. He also covers college football for ESPN. For these games, he often works with analyst Louis Riddick. He used to call men's SEC college basketball games with analyst Kara Lawson. Mark has also announced games for women's college basketball, the WNBA, and the NHL.

Mark Jones has also worked as an anchor and reporter for SportsCenter. He has helped cover big events like the NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game and the NBA Draft.

Mark is the younger brother of Paul Jones. Paul is the radio play-by-play voice for the Toronto Raptors.

In September 2020, Mark used his social media to support important social causes. He showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter.

In 2020, Mark Jones became the main TV play-by-play announcer for the Sacramento Kings. ESPN announced a new multi-year contract with Mark in March 2022.

In May 2022, Mark filled in for ESPN's main NBA play-by-play announcer, Mike Breen. This happened during a big Eastern Conference Final game. Mike Breen and other commentators were out sick. Mark also called the first two games of the NBA Finals because Mike Breen was still out.