Wali Jones

Walter Jones (born February 14, 1942) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a 6'2" (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) guard.

Wali Jones
Personal information
Born (1942-02-14) February 14, 1942
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolOverbrook
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeVillanova (1961–1964)
NBA draft1964: 3rd round, 18th overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career1964–1976
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
Number24, 23, 12, 11, 9
Career history
1964–1965Baltimore Bullets
1965–1971Philadelphia 76ers
1971–1973Milwaukee Bucks
1974–1975Utah Stars
1975–1976Detroit Pistons
1976Philadelphia 76ers
Career highlights and awards
Career ABA and NBA statistics
Points6,672 (9.8 ppg)
Rebounds1,471 (2.2 rpg)
Assists2,099 (3.1 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Born in Philadelphia, Jones played at Overbrook High School, the same school that had produced Wilt Chamberlain a few years earlier. He played college ball for coach Jack Kraft at Villanova University where he would earn Philadelphia's BIG-5 Player of the Year honors 2x in a row for 1963 and 1964 and become a 3rd-Team All-American as a senior.

Professional career

In his first NBA season, Jones played for the Baltimore Bullets and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. The next season, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers where he would play for the next six years.

Jones and Hal Greer were the starting guards on the title-winning 1966–67 76ers team that also featured Chamberlain, Chet Walker, Lucious Jackson, Billy Cunningham and included fellow Villanova alum – Bill Melchionni. Jones made the 76ers' starting lineup after Larry Costello tore his Achilles tendon on January 6, 1967. During the 1967 NBA Finals, Jones played a key role. In Game 1 of the series, Jones scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and recorded 8 assists during a 141–135 win.[1]

During the 1968 playoffs, before the start of the Eastern Division finals series against the Boston Celtics, news broke of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Several 76ers, including Jones and Chamberlain, were vocally opposed to playing the game; however, they were outvoted by the rest of the team.[2][3]

Later, Jones played for the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. In Milwaukee, Jones became involved in a contract dispute which saw him suspended, placed on waivers, and ultimately released. The Bucks alleged that Jones was involved in cocaine usage, even hiring private detectives to investigate, while Jones staunchly denied the accusations. Ultimately, Jones reached a contract settlement with the Bucks and was released.[4]

Jones then joined the Utah Stars before retiring after a final stint with the Sixers in 1976.

Jones' son Askia[5] is the third-leading scorer in Kansas State University basketball history and played briefly in the NBA himself, with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship *  Led the league

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1964–65 Baltimore 77–16.2.375–.7281.82.6––5.3
1965–66 Philadelphia 80*–27.5.370–.7442.13.4––9.0
1966–67† Philadelphia 81*–27.8.431–.8383.33.7––13.2
1967–68 Philadelphia 77–26.7.397–.7872.83.2––12.8
1968–69 Philadelphia 81–28.9.430–.8093.13.6––13.2
1969–70 Philadelphia 78–22.3.430–.8412.23.5––11.8
1970–71 Philadelphia 41–23.5.402–.7821.63.1––10.1
1971–72 Milwaukee 48–21.5.407–.8221.62.9––7.5
1972–73 Milwaukee 27–15.5.407–.8891.12.1––5.0
1975–76 Detroit 1–19.0.364–.0000.02.02.00.08.0
1975–76 Philadelphia 16–9.8.500–.6920.61.90.30.02.9
Career 607–23.8.409–.8002.33.20.40.010.1

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1964–65 Baltimore 10–16.2.460–.7502.01.8––7.3
1965–66 Philadelphia 5–31.2.325–.6823.03.6––13.0
1966–67† Philadelphia 15*–31.7.447–.7762.84.1––17.5
1967–68 Philadelphia 13–29.8.358–.7892.43.0––14.1
1968–69 Philadelphia 5–20.6.267–.8003.21.8––6.4
1969–70 Philadelphia 5–32.0.523–.7862.24.8––15.8
1970–71 Philadelphia 7–16.4.365–.7691.71.6––6.9
1971–72 Milwaukee 9–22.2.439–.8572.02.2––10.0
1975–76 Philadelphia 1–2.0.000–.0001.02.00.00.00.0
Career 70–25.2.406–.7772.42.90.00.011.9

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1974–75 Utah 71–18.9.405.240.8231.12.10.60.07.5
Career 71–18.9.405.240.8231.12.10.60.07.5

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1974–75 Utah 5–9.2.381.0001.0000.40.80.80.04.4
Career 5–9.2.381.0001.0000.40.80.80.04.4

Notes
  1. 1967 NBA Finals Game 1: San Francisco Warriors at Philadelphia 76ers
  2. Tinsley, Justin. "How Martin Luther King Jr.'s death affected the NBA". Andscape. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  3. Jones, Gordie. "Sixers' Finest Fives: Wali Jones, QB Of The '66–67 Title Team, Has Spent His Life Doing Good". Forbes. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  4. "The Wali Jones Case Is Closed, but Not Tightly". New York Times. 25 May 1973. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  5. 40 Nuggets for 40-Team NIT, by Mike Douchant, College Sporting News, published March 11, 2002
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