A legend from the Denver Nuggets’ proud ABA days is finally getting some well-deserved recognition.
Bobby Jones, who starred for the Nuggets prior to the NBA merger, has been selected for enshrinement in the 2019 class at the Naismith Basketball of Fame. Considered to be one of the best defenders of his era, Jones made an instant impact for Denver upon joining the team as a rookie.
Despite being drafted in the NBA by the Rockets with the No. 5 pick in 1974, the then-ABA Nuggets outbid Houston to seal his services. As a Nugget, he averaged 14.8 points per game along with 8.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 324 games– all while shooting 58.3 percent. In the final two years in the ABA, he was an All-Star in the 1976 and was on two All-Defensive First Teams (1975-76). Jones remained in Denver during the team’s first two years in the NBA before being traded to join the Sixers in 1978.
Aside from his hustle on the defensive end, one of Jones’ enduring legacies is his refreshing honesty. He once spotted a referee incorrectly giving his teammate a foul for something that he did and approached the referee to correct it. The moment came when Jones already had four fouls and Larry Brown, the Nuggets coach at the time, said "Watching Bobby Jones on the basketball court is like watching an honest man in a liars’ poker game."
After joining the Sixers, Jones would be part of the team "fo', fo', fo'” team that went on to win the NBA title in 1983.