Paul Jones (sportscaster) facts for kids
Paul Jones, born in 1958, is a well-known Canadian sportscaster. He is famous for being the voice of the Toronto Raptors basketball team on the radio. He started with the Raptors in their very first season in 1995, working as a "colour analyst." This means he helps explain the game and gives interesting insights while another person, called the "play-by-play" announcer, describes the action.
Today, Paul Jones continues to be the Raptors' colour analyst on Fan 590 radio, working alongside play-by-play announcer Eric Smith.
What Paul Jones Does
Besides calling games, Paul Jones is a busy guy! He appears on a weekly basketball show called Hoops with Eric Smith on Fan 590. This show is also shown on Raptors NBA TV. Paul and Eric also used to be on another show together called Double Dribble.
Paul has also worked on TV for the Raptors. He's been a studio analyst, meaning he talks about the game from a TV studio, and a sideline reporter, which means he reports from the side of the basketball court. He's done this for channels like TSN, CTV, and Rogers Sportsnet. You can often see him on Canadian TV shows like The Grill Room, Off the Record, and Full Court Press.
His Basketball Journey
Before he became a sportscaster, Paul Jones was a talented basketball player himself!
- He played for York University and helped his team win three provincial championships in 1978, 1980, and 1981.
- He was chosen as an All-Star twice in his conference.
- In 1981, he won the Kitch McPherson Trophy, which means he was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Ontario championship game.
- He also won two bronze medals in the CIAU national championship tournament in 1978 and 1979.
- In 1983, he won a silver medal playing for Canada in the Commonwealth Basketball Tournament in New Zealand.
After his playing career, Paul also coached basketball. He coached at the high school level and for provincial teams. He was also an assistant coach for three years at the University of Western Ontario.
From Jamaica to Canada
Paul Jones was born in Jamaica. When he was just four months old, he moved to Canada with his parents.
For 22 years, Paul worked with the Toronto District School Board. He worked his way up to become a school principal! He was the principal at Walter Scott Public School and Roselawn Public School in Richmond Hill. In 2004, he decided to leave his job as a principal to join the Raptors' radio team full-time.
Family Connections
Paul Jones has a younger brother named Mark Jones. Mark is also a sportscaster, working for big networks like ESPN and ABC in the United States.
On June 15, 2020, Paul Jones and Eric Smith started a new afternoon sports talk show together on Sportsnet 590 called Smith & Jones.
