Popeye Jones facts for kids

Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones (born June 17, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

College Basketball Career

Popeye Jones was born in Dresden, Tennessee. He played college basketball for Murray State University. He was a top player in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). He was named OVC Player of the Year in both 1990 and 1991.

Jones was also honored as the OVC's Athlete of the Year in 1991 and 1992. His jersey number, 54, was retired by Murray State. It hangs in the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky. He is one of only ten men's basketball players from Murray State to have this honor.

Popeye Jones is fourth on Murray State's all-time scoring list. He scored 2,057 points during his college career. He is also the all-time leader in rebounds for Murray State with 1,374. He led the entire nation in rebounds during the 1990–91 season. He is the only men's player in Murray State history to get more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Playing in the NBA

Starting His Professional Journey

After college, the Houston Rockets picked Popeye Jones in the 1992 NBA draft. He was the 41st player chosen overall. However, his rights were soon traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He played professionally in Europe for one season before joining the Mavericks.

He played for the Mavericks for three seasons. Then, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors.

Moving Between Teams

In 1998, Jones was part of a trade to the Boston Celtics. The next year, he was traded again to the Denver Nuggets. In 2000, he was traded to the Washington Wizards.

He had a second time playing for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2002–03 season. He played in 26 games that year. In 2003, Jones joined the Golden State Warriors in a big trade. This trade meant he was traded for Danny Fortson for the second time in his career. In 2004, the Warriors released Jones, which ended his playing career.

NBA Records and Achievements

On March 10, 1994, Popeye Jones set an NBA record. He grabbed 12 offensive rebounds in one game. He did this without getting any defensive rebounds. This record has stood since the league started tracking this stat in 1973–74.

His best season was in 1995–96 with the Mavericks. He averaged 11.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. The year before, he averaged 10.3 points and 10.6 rebounds. He holds an NBA career average of 7.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He once got 28 rebounds in a single game for the Mavericks in the 1995–96 season. This is still a team record for the Mavericks.

Coaching Career

After playing for 11 years in the NBA, Popeye Jones became a coach. He first worked with the Dallas Mavericks as a player development coach. He was with the Mavericks from 2007 to 2010.

Assistant Coach Roles

In 2010, he became an assistant coach for the New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets. On August 14, 2013, he was hired as an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers. He worked with famous players like Roy Hibbert and Paul George. The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals in his first two years there.

On November 9, 2020, the Philadelphia 76ers hired Jones as an assistant coach. He worked under head coach Doc Rivers.

On August 23, 2021, the Denver Nuggets announced they had hired Jones as an assistant coach. Jones won his first NBA championship when the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals. He left the Nuggets on May 30, 2025.

On July 9, 2025, the Dallas Mavericks hired Jones again. He joined their coaching staff under head coach Jason Kidd.

Personal Life

Popeye Jones is married to Amy, and they have three sons. His two youngest sons, Seth and Caleb, are professional ice hockey players. When Jones was with the Denver Nuggets, he talked to Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche about his sons playing ice hockey. Sakic told Jones to enroll his sons in skating classes first.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

College Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Popeye Jones para niños