Mark Jones (broadcaster)
Encyclopedia
Mark Jones is a sportscaster
for ESPN
and ABC
. Jones has been with ESPN/ABC since 1990. Prior to that, Jones worked for TSN
in his native Canada
. He primarily covers college football
and NBA games for ESPN
and ESPN on ABC
.
and Bill Walton
. He is also the primary host of KIA NBA Shootaround, the network's pregame show. There, he engages Walton and Stephen A. Smith
in topical debates about issues in the NBA. Jones has also done some sideline reporting for NBA games.
Jones also does play-by-play on ESPN's college football
, where he teams up with analyst Bob Davie on the network's Saturday night primetime game
on ESPN2
. He has also done play-by-play for women's college basketball
and the WNBA.
, Ontario
as a son of Jamaican immigrants and played collegiate
basketball for his varsity team at York University
. Jones has also represented Canada in international basketball competition.
He is the younger brother of Paul Jones
, the radio play-by-play voice for the Toronto Raptors
.
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Jones has been with ESPN/ABC since 1990. Prior to that, Jones worked for TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
in his native Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He primarily covers college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and NBA games for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC
ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
.
Broadcasting career
He began as the host of the NBA Today. He would usually end the show by shooting an imaginary basketball into the air as the studio lights went off. Jones also does play-by-play on NBA games with Jon BarryJon Barry
Jon Alan Barry is an American former basketball player and current television analyst for ABC and ESPN.-Biography:Barry is the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry, and has three brothers: Scooter, Drew, and Brent, all of whom are also basketball players. Jon played his high school basketball at De La...
and Bill Walton
Bill Walton
William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...
. He is also the primary host of KIA NBA Shootaround, the network's pregame show. There, he engages Walton and Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith
-Early years:Smith was raised in the Hollis neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. He lived with his parents and four older sisters.He attended Winston-Salem State University, a historically black university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
in topical debates about issues in the NBA. Jones has also done some sideline reporting for NBA games.
Jones also does play-by-play on ESPN's college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, where he teams up with analyst Bob Davie on the network's Saturday night primetime game
ESPN2 College Football Saturday Primetime
ESPN2 College Football Primetime is a live game presentation of Division 1-A college football on ESPN2. In the past, the primary sponsors have been Polaroid, AT&T and GoDaddy.com. Like its ESPN counterpart, the current presenting sponsor of this version is Hampton Hotels. The game telecast airs...
on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
. He has also done play-by-play for women's college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
and the WNBA.
Personal life
He grew up in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
as a son of Jamaican immigrants and played collegiate
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is The Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
basketball for his varsity team at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
. Jones has also represented Canada in international basketball competition.
He is the younger brother of Paul Jones
Paul Jones (sportscaster)
Paul Jones is a Canadian sportscaster. He currently serves as the play-by-play voice for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association on the Fan 590 radio broadcasts in Toronto. He previously served as the colour analyst on Raptors radio broadcasts, a role he had during the Raptors'...
, the radio play-by-play voice for the Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
.