Former Cane Wins NBA Championship
June 26, 2012
by Patrick Riley, UM communications intern
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – As the red parade buses cruised through the streets of downtown Miami at lunchtime on Monday, there were more happy faces than one could possibly count.
One of these faces belonged to a player that knows the “Magic City” probably better than anyone else on the Heat roster. He was born and raised here, attended American Senior High in Hialeah and later played Division I basketball at the University of Miami from 1999-2003.
His name?
James Andrew Jones.
The 31-year-old former Cane reached the zenith of professional basketball on Thursday night when his team won the NBA Championship by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 in Game 5.
Jones, a three-point specialist and role player, came off the bench averaging 2.6 points over 8.7 minutes during the playoffs and scored a combined 11 points in Games Two, Three and Four of the Finals. While his stats might not have been eye-popping, he did all the little things that can make or break a game, like rebounding, converting free throws (he was a perfect 10 for 10 during the playoffs) and allowing superstars like LeBron James to catch a breather.
In the end, the Miami native became the first former Hurricane since Rick Barry to win an NBA Championship. But while this was the first time Jones was able to hoist the coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy, it was not his first time calling himself a champion.
During his junior year of high school Jones led American Senior High to the District 13-6A championship averaging 17.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. After he caught scouts’ attention when he averaged 25.2 points and 12 rebounds the next year, Jones decided to stay in Miami and play basketball at UM. His terrific three-point-shooting, he converted 38.3 percent of his shot attempts from beyond the arc as a Cane, would lead to him being selected by the Indiana Pacers in the 2003 NBA Draft.
After two years with the Pacers, the small forward would play for the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trailblazers before eventually signing with the Heat in 2008.
When the game clock struck triple zeros late Thursday night, a nine-year quest finally came to a close for Jones and it couldn’t have ended in a more perfect fashion: Winning a championship in his hometown in front of family, friends and thousands of fans.
Fittingly, when Jones was once asked what his advice to youngsters is, he replied: “Know the things that you want and pursue them to the fullest.”
These last couple of days Jones did just that.
