Steve “Snapper” Jones was one of the NBA’s best known television analysts and a beloved fixture of his hometown team, the Portland Trailblazers. Jones, a former American Basketball Association All-Star, passed away this weekend and the National Basketball Association paid its respects for his contributions.
Jones was born Stephen Howard Jones on October 17, 1942 in Alexandria, Louisiana before relocating with his family to Portland, Oregon. He became a standout high school player going on to a stellar four-year career at the University of Oregon. Jones entered the ABA and spent eight seasons with several teams, winning All-Star honors three times. He spent his final playing season in the NBA with the Trailblazers and retired in 1976.
That same year, Jones began his broadcasting career with CBS. He worked across several networks over the past four decades including TNT, NBA and USA. Jones and NBA legend Bill Walton became one of the best known TV analyst duos known for playfully jabbing at each other while becoming good friends outside of work.
Jones was perhaps best known as the color analyst for the Trailblazers and for covering basketball during the 1992 Summer Olympics alongside the late Chick Hearn and Jim Durham. His son, Stephen Jones Jr., is currently an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets.
Jones was 75.
PHOTO: KPTV Screenshot
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Little Known Black History Fact: Steve “Snapper” Jones was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
