James Jones just played in his seventh straight NBA Finals, but apparently his playing days are over. The Phoenix Suns announced Wednesday that Jones will be their vice president of basketball operations. Via NBA.com:
The Phoenix Suns announced today they have agreed to a multiyear contract extension with General Manager Ryan McDonough and added former Suns forward and 14-year NBA veteran James Jones as Vice President of Basketball Operations. Jones will report to McDonough and work alongside him to oversee all basketball-related matters for the Suns, including the draft, free agency and trades.
Jones was a part of all four Finals teams in Miami from 2011-2014, and then thanks to his friendship with LeBron James, made his way to Cleveland and played in all three of the Cavaliers' Finals matchups against the Warriors.
The 14-year veteran finishes his NBA playing career averaging 5.2 points per game and shooting 40.1 percent from 3-point range. Last season he played just 48 games during the regular season, averaging 2.8 points.
He also won the three-point contest in the 2011 All-Star Game.
Looking at the Suns' roster, it's hard to see Jones making it eight straight Finals, but this is just yet another example of Jones' impressive ability to make things happen for himself.
Sure, players don't really announce their retirements in the same say as they used to, but he joined a front office in a pretty high ranking position before he even announced that he wasn't playing anymore, and just one month after being in the Finals.
