From Andrew Marchand of the Athletic on Twitter:

NEWS: NBA play-by-player Mark Jones’ last broadcast with ESPN will be this Sunday, The Athletic has learned.

He has been with ESPN since 1990.

Mark Jones’ announcement on Instagram:

“…ABC/ESPN family, but I have decided that it’s time to move on.

From the day Dennis Swanson hired me in 1990 and working with the best producer in the business Kim Belton, until today I will forever be grateful for the many friends and colleagues along the way.”

“As I move on to my next chapter I believe my best work is yet to come. I’ll be out there cookin’ hotter than fish grease!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DW9Kgz5FPOE/?igsh=MWY0YmQ5dnBucmVoMw==

From Yahoo:

“Mark Jones has worked a wide variety of assignments for ESPN since his debut in 1990. He is a play-by-play commentator for ESPN’s NBA, college football and UFL coverage. His previous assignments include the WNBA, NBA Finals, and men’s and women’s college basketball,” ESPN wrote.

“Jones hosted the network’s SportsCenter coverage of the NBA Finals from 1991-96 and 2007-10 and called play-by-play for the 2011 NBA Finals for ESPN 3D. He has also hosted ESPN’s coverage of NBA All-Star events, the NBA Draft Lottery, and has contributed to the network’s NBA Draft coverage. Jones previously hosted ESPN’s NBA Today and on occasion served as an anchor/reporter on SportsCenter.”

Jaded-Sapphire3546 | Thunder

65 | 5 hours ago

A little surprising that he’s exiting prior to the post-season. ABC/ESPN is going to be left with a thin broadcasting roster; they’ve done shockingly little to replenish their booths over the last few years.

horseshoeoverlook | Gran Destino

31 | 5 hours ago

I think NBC/Peacock has the bulk of the games

Waikuku3

6 | 5 hours ago

I am not sure whether the tradition holds that ESPN and ABC will get all games for the first day of playoffs. If so they need the fourth play-by-play guy besides Mike Breen, Dave Pasch and Ryan Ruocco. But yeah with Prime also showcasing the playoffs they dont need so many commentators

horseshoeoverlook | Gran Destino

4 | 5 hours ago

When will the playoffs start? NBC said they will broadcast the April 19 games

Waikuku3

4 | 5 hours ago

April 18. Then it means the tradition carries on. ABC will get 2 games and ESPN the remaining 2. Weekdays it will be all Prime and NBC

_massaiwalker | San Diego Clippers

5 | 4 hours ago

Slightly different. ⁴⁄₁₈ Prime gets 3 games, ABC 1. ⁴⁄₁₉: ABC:2 NBC:2

Waikuku3

1 | 4 hours ago

Oh wow. Didnt see that coming. Truly a change of era

NCBaddict | Bulls

1 | an hour ago

Huh, this is good news. Thought Prime’s coverage was gonna wrap up once the Play-In finished.

Is NBATV the odd man out? Do they not get any playoffs anymore?

zebrainatux |

1 | 5 hours ago

I’d imagine they either borrow someone from another network or have one of their college guys do a game

horseshoeoverlook | Gran Destino

3 | 5 hours ago

They should borrow Drew Carter from NBC Sports Boston. He did the Disney NBA Christmas game

zebrainatux |

2 | 5 hours ago

He’d be my lean or Dave O’Brien who does college games for the network

horseshoeoverlook | Gran Destino

2 | 4 hours ago

Yeah because starting this year, there won’t be local broadcasts in the first round anymore. It will be all national.

chmcgrath1988 | Celtics

1 | 4 hours ago

Damn. Idk that.

Tonight’s my last chance to listen to Drew and Scal until the fall since Celtics regular season finale is an ESPN exclusive.

I’m really, really hoping not too many of the Celtics games are on Prime but I’m a 60-year-old man internally so I’m always fine with listening to sports on the radio if necessary.

horseshoeoverlook | Gran Destino

2 | 4 hours ago

It is not sure if the ESPN game is an exclusive one. Usually it is not. Only ABC games have exclusive rights. Even the Celtics NBC games had local crews.

chmcgrath1988 | Celtics

1 | 4 hours ago

Celtics/Magic on Sunday is exclusive according to Google. It’s hit or miss whether NBC Boston can simulcast.

(Celtics website is telling me that NBC Sports Boston is showing it, so it sounds like I’ll have two more chances to listen to the local guys)

Thing I like about the NBC broadcasts is aside from the Sunday night games; NBC Sports Boston is allowed to have their own broadcast. Maybe it’s cause they’re a subsidiary of NBC and they’ll make some money twice.

Waikuku3

7 | 5 hours ago

Yes they did not have clear succession plan and talents since they fire Mark Jackson and JVG. Everything feels like improvise

SkunkyBottle

5 | 5 hours ago

Feels like ABC/ESPN has been phoning it in anyway as far as their production for NBA games. Watching NBC broadcasts feels like night and day…so this comes as to no surprise with a thin broadcasting roster for ABC

Bone-surrender-no | Cavaliers

1 | 4 hours ago

Maybe, just maybe this is the sign they’re winding it down and ending their broadcast scheme. They’re a media tabloid first and foremost and having to listen to Doris Burke do games has been a disservice to ball over the past few years. If ESPN actually cared about women in sports they’d get someone with actual ball analysis chops but it’s been clear that was never the goal.

Waikuku3

4 | 4 hours ago

No way they are winding it down. This is just the first year of the new TV contract.

CK0428 | Pacers

63 | 5 hours ago

MJ is a real one. I hope he resurfaces elsewhere soon enough.

egregious888 | Heat

13 | 4 hours ago

They’ll be demand as long as he wants to keep working. He’s too good to not get picked up

Waikuku3

-4 | 4 hours ago

NBC should get him instead of forcing Michael Grady to us

DTFpanda | Heat

8 | 4 hours ago

You’re tripping, Grady is great

spizcraft | Nuggets

2 | 2 hours ago

Grady is so much better than Jones. Jones’ one liners are cringy

bchris24 | Kings

10 | 4 hours ago

He’s been broadcasting for us for years now and will probably be ours full-time.

Or not, idk anything.

Waikuku3

5 | 4 hours ago

Tbh he is just way too good to just be local TV play by play guy.

bchris24 | Kings

4 | 4 hours ago

Oh for sure that I agree with, I also don’t mind taking a break from him here and there but the rest of our announcing crew are ass so losing him would make our games even harder to watch.

mf-TOM-HANK | Cavaliers

2 | 3 hours ago

Oh yeah I’m sure he’ll be with Prime or NBC unless he’s looking to wind down his work load and perhaps retire. He’s got a lot of good years ahead of him as a broadcaster if he wants

captainbean | Spurs

34 | 5 hours ago

I’ll miss all of his fun food-based calls.

br0botic

15 | 4 hours ago

“In his bag like the fries are at the bottom!”

Avenmuyff | Celtics

4 | 4 hours ago

“DEEP LIKE THE FRIES ARE AT THR BOTTOM!”

xXEliteEater500Xx

10 | 4 hours ago

Hotter than fish grease!

Waikuku3

7 | 4 hours ago

Butter!

strawnotrazz | Bulls

2 | an hour ago

He’s playing with his food!

throwawayjoeyboots

27 | 5 hours ago

Mark Jones has definitely flown under the radar over his career which might be the way to do it?

Not really a household name. Not anyone’s favorite announcer or least favorite. But he’s been doing it for almost 40 years.

Waikuku3

30 | 5 hours ago

He is my favorite besides Mike Breen. People find him cringe but I truly enjoy his voice. His voice is perfect for broadcasting

Carcrusher3 | Trail Blazers

15 | 4 hours ago

Agreed. One of my favorites on the national mic. His goofy phrases are part of the charm. And he’s got consistent energy night in and out

Waikuku3

5 | 4 hours ago

Yup totally agree. You can rely on him delivering in the same manner even if it is not a marquee matchup. His call on the final few minutes of G7 between the Heat and Celtics in 2022 has been great too. Will miss him so much

BeamTeam23 | Kings

2 | 4 hours ago

I appreciate him finding genuine things to be enthusiastic about when calling Kings games this year.

[deleted]

6 | 4 hours ago

[deleted]

UnbiasedExpert | CLE

7 | 4 hours ago

if you don’t like the old (racist) announcer you don’t like nba basketball!

Waikuku3

6 | 4 hours ago

He can break down plays too he has the knowledge. But people will just focus on his catchphrase and laugh at him for trying to make the game fun. It is not easy to call games for 2 hours when everyone can see the actions with their eyes.

TraderJake09 | Bucks

11 | 5 hours ago

Mark Jones calls an extremely consistent game, which is comforting on one side and can be frustrating to hear the same verbal flourishes for so long

Overall I thought he was better than most. I enjoyed his calls quite a bit during Summer League games when he had more time to get away from his standard banter

Waikuku3

7 | 5 hours ago

Lebronto has to be on the top of the most unhinged yet funny thing to say.

Rook2Rook

3 | 4 hours ago

It was definitely hinged considering what he was doing to them.

hickok3 | Raptors

1 | 3 hours ago

“2 points isn’t 2 points. It’s a lie. 2 points is not 2 points. I’ll explain it to you later. Coaches have said that for years, but 2 points is not 2 points”

Proceeds to go ¹³⁄₂₂ from 2 including a frankly ridiculous fading 1 handed floater off glass to win the game later that day.

whatssenguntoagoblin | Alperen Sengun

3 | 4 hours ago

He’s my least favorite nationwide play by play announcer. He at least 10 times a game tries to shoehorn a try hard phrase and it’s so distracting. You shouldn’t notice a play by play announcer when you’re watching a game they should be an extension of the game. Mark Jones likes to make it too much about him.

He’s also a bonafide Jokic hater so fuck him

RollGata

2 | 3 hours ago

He’s unbearable as a football broadcaster with a longer broadcast and less plays so you get the same annoying sayings screamed at you for 3.5 hours on like 40% of the plays

Soft_Hotel_5627 | Timberwolves

24 | 5 hours ago

I loved Mark Jones back in the early days of ESPN2 when he hosted a basketball show. He was also the one who told the story of Danny Angie defying the Blue Jays and playing in a mens semi pro league in Toronto (Jones also played in it)

The last few years his stichtk got a little old but for YEARS his side by side with Hubie Brown was a great combo. I feel like he kept the antics down out of respect for Brown.

Waikuku3

5 | 5 hours ago

Actually he still calls the same way when he was with Hubie. Their chemistry actually makes the flow of broadcasting so smooth and his catchphrase wont be that awkward coz Hubie will then break down the play once Mark Jones said some certain phrases like hotter than fish grease

Soft_Hotel_5627 | Timberwolves

9 | 5 hours ago

I actually think most of his phrases are funny, it’s just that the last couple of years he’s just overdoing it. It doesn’t help when he was paired with Doris, I felt like they try to one up each other. I have league pass as well, it’s too bad the Kings suck so bad, I liked tuning into them during the light the beam run and listen to him, he was so giddy calling those games.

Startjjasap | Hawks

11 | 5 hours ago

Very solid announcer even though his catch phrases get very repetitive very quickly. Will he still call Kings games? Saying next chapter kind of implies he’s doing something different

oshinla | Lakers

11 | 4 hours ago

“Had him on his hip like a gucci bag”

Harleytk24 | Lakers

10 | 5 hours ago

I never really enjoyed his work tbh, especially when he’s paired with Doris.

Waikuku3

18 | 5 hours ago

When he was with Hubie Brown in mid 2010s calling Sunday’s game they are elite. They got great chemistry.

whatssenguntoagoblin | Alperen Sengun

4 | 4 hours ago

Nightmare blunt rotation. Especially if Jokic and LeBron get brought up in the convo, for completely different reasons

wcooper97 | OKC

3 | 3 hours ago

Or Kawhi’s hands

Toxik916 | Kings

9 | 5 hours ago

Hopefully this means he’s still going to be in Sacramento and can call our games full-time going forward.

axnjxn00 | Magic

7 | 5 hours ago

Isn’t he the kings announcer?

bubbles2255 | Kings

3 | 4 hours ago

Yep!

Individual-Echo6076

5 | 5 hours ago

Thank god we won’t have to hear “he caught a body” in the playoffs.

basketballdweeb

13 | 4 hours ago

“Playing with his food!”

whatssenguntoagoblin | Alperen Sengun

4 | 4 hours ago

“OHHHH put him in a spin blender!”

BeamTeam23 | Kings

3 | 4 hours ago

“tween tween.. hesi”

nbaistheworst

1 | 26 minutes ago

Dumbest line ever

Fresh_Honeydew_9548 | Thunder

2 | 3 hours ago

In his bag like some fries fell out the box or some stupid shit

Still-One-1665

0 | 4 hours ago

Thought i was the only one

No_Nefariousness6385 | Kings

8 | 5 hours ago

Im the minority here, but to me Jones is like an AI voice programmed to say complicated words….dude is cringe as fuck

Waikuku3

3 | 5 hours ago

He will be calling Magic vs Celtics with Doris Burke on Sunday night

Feisty_Dirt4191 | Warriors

4 | 5 hours ago

His sign off call in game 7 between OKC and someone during the bubble was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen

horseshoeoverlook | Gran Destino

4 | 4 hours ago

It was against Houston lol. James Harden ended the series with a defensive stop on Lu Dort

Feisty_Dirt4191 | Warriors

2 | 4 hours ago

I can’t remember what it was he said. He went on some monologue about game 7 and it was a total word salad. One of the funnier moments from a game I can remember.

No hate though mark jones was awesome

cbbrds25 | Trail Blazers

3 | 4 hours ago

Thank fuck. Dude is unbearable. You’re not Stuart Scott. You’re not even Eric Collins.

mulletstation | NBA

3 | 4 hours ago

PROPERTY OF MARK JONES

BlackJediSword | Lakers

3 | 3 hours ago

This sucks, I like MJ a lot

DonHomer92 | Spurs

2 | 5 hours ago

I won’t miss his constant use of SAT Prep vocabulary during his broadcasts. Or his blatantly stolen rapper lines at any given moment

DrippyProfile3724 | Lakers

2 | 5 hours ago

Betcha Jones was part of the mass layoffs ESPN announced days ago.

Poopcie

2 | 4 hours ago

I know his voice but I don’t know what he thinks about anything or if he really exists outside of the broadcast. An all time great

HorizonsEdge

2 | 4 hours ago

Finally an end to cooking with fish grease!

Appropriate_Book_591

1 | 2 hours ago

Damn he has been great I usually listen to him for college football. He seemed to always be working if not college then NBA. Maybe he will return to a lighter schedule or just be the Kings announcer.

FirstPreparation8538 | Pacers

1 | 2 hours ago

I like Mark Jones

stillmebeaches

1 | 2 hours ago

Please let this also be Kangz games

ILoveLamp9 | Lakers

1 | 42 minutes ago

Hubie + Mark Jones were always great to hear on weekends. I’ll miss them both.

babyvicks444 | Thunder

1 | 36 minutes ago

Man, this makes me sad. Part of why games are so exciting is because of game callers such as MJ who put a different life on every game he calls for.

I don’t know, I don’t like IAN EAGLE and NOAH EAGLE - they sound boring unlike KEVIN HARLAN, MJ and MIKE TIRICO.

Is it impossible to bring back MARK JACKSON and JVG back to commentating?

Who are other current commentators who make games exciting?

I know for a fact that the Charlotte guy is one hell of a guy but for games that are aired on national TV - are there others?

nbaistheworst

1 | 28 minutes ago

Did he quit, or was he fired?

Primary_Hour_9527

-1 | 5 hours ago

Validating Bill’s the “2 Js” with the “smoking that Philly pack” comment. Completely unhinged. Wild he stayed employed after that lol.

CFAthrowaway1000

-2 | 5 hours ago

They just created 1 million Mark Joneses

Free_Swim_3255

-1 | 4 hours ago

Finally figured out he was a vicious racist

Haunting-Set4223

-27 | 5 hours ago

who cares

horseshoeoverlook | Gran Destino

26 | 5 hours ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/HabtACkW8C

What’s this then?

DukeOfStuff_ | Timberwolves

11 | 5 hours ago

Hahaha

No_Problem20

9 | 5 hours ago

Damn, that was so rekt.

I don’t think I’ve ever had mouth-agape at a reddit comment Lol

horseshoeoverlook | Gran Destino

7 | 5 hours ago

OP even posted it twice hahaha

Hairy-Beyond-4135

7 | 5 hours ago

HAHAHAHA got him

horseshoeoverlook | Gran Destino

9 | 5 hours ago

Hotter than fish grease; quicker than gossip lmaooo

Sharp-Selection-3541

19 | 5 hours ago

People that enjoy basketball and sports in general

Mark Jones is a legend

Fuck you

Mark Jones to call last game for ESPN on Sunday