Indiana Pacers (2003–2005) The ,
small forward was picked 49th by the
Indiana Pacers in the
2003 NBA draft. He played in only 26 total minutes over six games during his rookie campaign in
2003–04 and missed 66 games due to a variety of injuries. He was also a
DNP-CD (did not play – coach's decision) in ten games. Jones played in 75 games, starting 24, for the Pacers during the
2004–05 season, averaging 4.9 points per game while also ranking 25th in the NBA and leading the team in three-point conversion percentage (39.8%). Jones was a DNP-CD in seven games. The NBA did not start recording individual turnovers until the
1977–78 season. He appeared in 76 games, with 7 starts, for the team during the
2006–07 season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 18.1 minutes a game. He was a DNP-CD six times. Jones made 45 consecutive free throws from January 5 to March 29, the longest consecutive free throws made streak in the NBA during the 2006–07 season. In late January 2008, Jones was leading the NBA in three-point percentage with a percentage slightly over 50%. He missed 12 games from February 4 to 27 with a knee injury. He played in 58 games, starting 3, during the season while averaging 8.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 22.0 minutes per game. The Trail Blazers finished the 2007–08 season with a 41–41 record. That season was the only time in Jones's NBA career that he missed the playoffs. He was also never on a team with a losing record. On June 26, 2008, he used his player option to opt out of his contract with the Trail Blazers, making him a free agent for the off-season.
Miami Heat (2008–2014) in 2009 On July 9, 2008, Jones signed a contract with his hometown team, the
Miami Heat. He earned $4 million in his first year of a potential five-year contract, worth up to $23.2 million. The first two years were guaranteed, while the final three were options held by both the Heat and Jones. He played in forty games, starting one, for the Heat during the
2008–09 season, averaging 4.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 15.8 minutes per game. Jones missed 36 games due to right wrist injures and was a DNP-CD six games. He completed two
four-point plays in a span of eleven seconds in a playoff loss to the
Atlanta Hawks on April 29, 2009. He appeared in 36 games, with 6 starts, for the team during the
2009–10 season while averaging 4.1 points, 1.3 rebounds and 14.0 minutes a game. He missed one game due to an intestinal virus and was a DNP-CD 35 times. Jones was also healthy but on the inactive list ten games. On July 19, 2010, Jones was re-signed by the Heat for the league minimum. He played in 81 games, starting 8, for the team during the
2010–11 season, averaging 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 19.1 minutes per game. He missed one game as a DNP-CD. Jones led the Heat in games played, three-point field goals made with 123, three-point field goals attempted with 287 and charges drawn with 29. He also had the lowest turnover percentage in the NBA during the 2010–11 season, committing an average of 5.27 turnovers per 100 plays. This was the second best single-season turnover percentage in NBA history, behind Jones's own record of 5.23 from the 2005–06 season. His 5.27 percentage is now fifth place while his 5.23 percentage is fourth place on the all-time list as of the end of the
2015–16 season. Jones scored a playoff career-high 25 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range and 10-of-10 free throw shooting on May 1, 2011, against the
Boston Celtics. The Heat went on to make the
2011 NBA Finals where they lost to the
Dallas Mavericks, 4 games to 2. On December 9, 2011, he re-signed with the Heat to a three-year, $4.5 million contract. In the
2011–12 season, an impressive playoff run by the Heat culminated in his first
NBA championship, and the franchise's second as they defeated the
Oklahoma City Thunder in the
2012 NBA Finals, 4 games to 1. Jones played in 51 games, starting 10, for the Heat during the season while averaging 3.6 points, 1.0 rebounds and 13.1 minutes per game. He was a DNP-CD 15 times. He finished third place in the 2012 Three-Point Shootout in
Orlando. He was a DNP-CD for 43 games and missed another game for personal reasons. In
2013–14, the Heat made the
2014 NBA Finals as they recorded their fourth straight Finals appearance. Miami faced the Spurs again but this time, the Heat went on to lose in five games. Jones played in 20 games, starting 6, during the season, averaging 4.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 11.8 minutes.
LeBron James, Jones's teammate with the Heat, had asked him to come join him in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won the
Eastern Conference championship and advanced to the
NBA Finals. Facing the
Golden State Warriors, the Cavaliers lost the series in six games. Jones played in 57 games, starting 2, for the Cavaliers during the
2014–15 season while averaging 4.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 11.7 minutes a game. On July 25, 2015, Jones re-signed with the Cavaliers. In a December 2015 article on
ESPN.com by Dave McMenamin, LeBron James said "He's my favorite player of all time" and "He's the greatest teammate I've ever had" in regards to Jones. The Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference championship for the second year in a row and went on to win the 2016 NBA championship, becoming the first team in history to win the championship after being down 3–1 in the Finals, as Jones won his third title in five years. He played in 48 games during the
2015–16 season while averaging 3.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 9.6 minutes a game. On June 26, 2016, Cavaliers teammate
Kevin Love called Jones "the best teammate I've ever had". On August 3, 2016, Jones re-signed with the Cavaliers. On January 19, 2017, he started in place of an injured Kevin Love and scored 14 points in a 118–103 win over the
Phoenix Suns. It was his first start since April 2, 2015. The Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference championship for the third year in a row, as Jones and teammate LeBron James joined
Bill Russell,
Bob Cousy,
K. C. Jones,
Sam Jones,
Tom Heinsohn, and
Frank Ramsey (all from the
Boston Celtics) as the only players in NBA history to reach seven consecutive NBA Finals. Facing the Golden State Warriors in the Finals for the third straight year, the Cavaliers lost the series in five games. Jones played in 48 games, starting 2, for the Cavaliers during the
2016–17 season while averaging 2.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 7.9 minutes a game. ==Executive career==