Mark Vernon Jones was born on November 16, 1961.
Basketball career Jones attended
York University and played basketball. He led the team to three
Ontario Universities Athletics Association (OUAA) championships in 1981, 1984 and 1985. During his career, Jones was one of the top players in the OUAA, earning conference second-team all-star honours in 1984 and 1985. In 1986, he finished his career with a first-team all-star nod. A prolific guard for the Yeomen, Jones still ranks in the program's top five all-time in total assists and steals. He was inducted into the York's Sport Hall of Fame in 2016.
Broadcasting career Before Jones assumed his roles at ESPN, he worked for
The Sports Network (TSN) in Canada from 1986 to 1990 as an anchor and hosted a
Toronto Blue Jays magazine show. Jones began his ESPN career as the host of the weekly NBA show, the
NBA Today. He would usually end the show by shooting an imaginary basketball into the air as the studio lights went off. Jones currently does
play-by-play on NBA games paired with any one of ESPN's current NBA game analysts like
Jon Barry,
Hubie Brown,
Jay Bilas,
P.J. Carlesimo,
Doris Burke,
Bob Myers and
Stephanie White. Jones has worked NBA games in the past with
Bill Walton until Walton left NBA coverage during the 2009–10 season and also with
Doug Collins. He was the primary host of
KIA NBA Shootaround, the network's pregame show. On the program, he engaged Walton and
Stephen A. Smith in topical debates about issues in the NBA. Jones has done some sideline reporting for NBA games. Until 2023, Jones was the lead play-by-play announcer on ABC's
NBA Sunday Showcase with Doris Burke. He also is on ESPN's
college football, where he teams up with analyst
Louis Riddick on the network's coverage on ESPN,
ESPN2 or ABC. He formerly called men's SEC college basketball games on Saturday with analyst
Kara Lawson. He has also done play-by-play and/or reporting for women's
college basketball, the
WNBA, and the
NHL. Jones has also occasionally served as an anchor/reporter for
SportsCenter. He has contributed to NBA All-Star Weekend (Celebrity Game), NBA Draft Lottery, and also to the network's NBA Draft coverage. He is the younger brother of
Paul Jones, the radio play-by-play voice of the
Toronto Raptors. In September 2020, Jones made headlines with his outspoken support for the
Black Lives Matter movement on Twitter. Jones was named the primary TV play-by-play announcer for the
Sacramento Kings in 2020. On March 11, 2022, ESPN announced a multi-year extension for Jones. On May 29, 2022, Jones filled in for ESPN's lead NBA play–by–play announcer
Mike Breen for the deciding Eastern Conference Final Game 7 between the
Boston Celtics and
Miami Heat. Breen had to sit out of the broadcast alongside commentators
Jeff Van Gundy and
Mark Jackson due to a positive
COVID test. Jones also called the first two games of the
NBA Finals featuring the Celtics and
Golden State Warriors in Breen's absence. On April 10, 2026, Jones announced that he is leaving ESPN after a 36-year run. His last call for NBA final regular season coverage was a game between the
Orlando Magic and the
Boston Celtics. ==Career timeline==