Ozell Jones

Ozell "Hoppy" Jones III (November 20, 1960 – September 7, 2006) was an American professional basketball player. He was listed at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) and weighed 235 pounds (107 kg). Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, his family soon moved to Compton, California, and later to Long Beach, California, so that he could play high school basketball at Long Beach Polytechnic. Jones first played college basketball with the Wichita State University (1979–1981) and helped the "Shockers" reach the Elite 8 in his second year. He later transferred to Cal State Fullerton to play for the "Titans" in 1982–1984. He entered the 1984 NBA draft and was chosen in the fourth round (90th pick overall) by the San Antonio Spurs.[1] On 24 October 1985, he was waived by the Spurs. He later signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers on March 31, 1986, but played in only three games. After his time in the NBA, he played overseas in Italy (1986–1987) then spent the rest of his professional career playing in the CBA for the Cincinnati Slammers (1986–1987), Quad City Thunder (1987–1988), Tulsa Fast Breakers (1989–1990), Tri-City Chinook (1993–1994) and Oklahoma City Cavalry (1994–1995). He also participated in the USBL with two spells for the Miami Tropics in 1987 and 1988. After retiring, he operated a big and tall men's clothing store in Lancaster, California.

Ozell Jones
Personal information
Born(1960-11-20)20 November 1960
St. Paul, Minnesota
Died7 September 2006(2006-09-07) (aged 45)
Lancaster, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolLong Beach Polytechnic
(Long Beach, California)
College
NBA draft1984: 4th round, 90th overall pick
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career1984–1994
PositionCenter / power forward
Number8, 20
Career history
1984–1985San Antonio Spurs
1985–1986Mulat Napoli
1986Los Angeles Clippers
1986–1987Cincinnati Slammers
1987Miami Tropics
1987–1988Quad City Thunder
1988Miami Tropics
1989–1990Tulsa Fast Breakers
1993–1994Tri-City Chinook
1994–1995Oklahoma City Cavalry
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Death

On 7 September 2006, Jones was found by relatives shot dead in his apartment.[2] He was 45 years old. According to police reports, he bled to death from a single gunshot wound to the upper torso.[3] The investigation of this case remains open. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Long Beach, California.

Notable awards

  • USBL Championship (1987)
  • CBA All-Star (1990)

References

  1. "Ozell Jones Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  2. "Former Shocker Ozell Jones dead from gunshot". The Wichita Eagle. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
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