Mason Christopher Jones (born July 21, 1998) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for Darüşşafaka Lassa of the

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League ( tr, Basketbol Süper Ligi; BSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replac ...

(BSL). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the Connors State Cowboys and the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (ori ...

Early life and high school career

Jones grew up in

DeSoto, Texas DeSoto is a city in Dallas County, Texas, in the United States. DeSoto is a suburb of Dallas and is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Duncanville, and Lancaster. History The area was first settled in 1847, ...

and did not play basketball until his senior year of high school at Triple A Academy in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. That year, he averaged 15.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. Jones played at Link Year Prep in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postma ...

for a

postgraduate year A postgraduate (PG) year is an extra year of secondary coursework at a boarding school following high school graduation, but before entering college. It is a gap year option intended for students who either have not applied or were not admitted ...

, trimming his weight down from 265 pounds from his senior year of high school to 230 by the end of the season.

College career

Jones played his freshman season at

Connors State College Connors State College is a public community college in Warner and Muskogee, Oklahoma. History The college was founded as an agricultural high school in 1908 and was quickly converted to a school of agriculture. When Oklahoma became a state ...

. He averaged 15.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his only season for the Cowboys. Jones committed to transfer to Arkansas following the end of the season over offers from

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. In his first season with the Razorbacks, Jones finished third on the team with 13.9 points per game and second with 3.9 rebounds per game. Jones scored 23 points to help lead Arkansas to a 70–60 over

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Jones scored a season-high 30 points twice against

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

. Jones entered his junior season as the team's leading returning rebounder and the second leading scorer. Jones was named the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

(SEC) Player of the Week after scoring 32 points with seven rebounds and five steals in a 91–43

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

. He scored a career-high 41 points in a 98–79 win over

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

on December 14, 2019 and was again named the SEC Player of the Week. Jones scored 34 points in a 79–77 loss to

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

on January 30, 2020 followed by a 30-point performance in a 82–78 win over

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

two days later and was named the Player of the Week for the third time. On February 4, Jones scored 40 points in a 79–76 loss to

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

in a game in which the Razorbacks' second-leading scorer

Isaiah Joe Derrick Isaiah Joe (born July 2, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Early life and high school ...

did not play due to knee surgery. Jones became the third SEC player alongside

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

and

Jodie Meeks Orestes Jodie Meeks II (born August 21, 1987) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky. ...

with multiple 40-point games and the first player in Arkansas history to score at least 30 points in three straight games. Jones scored 38 points in 78–77 loss to

. Jones scored 38 points on February 26, 2020 in an 86–69 win over

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and scored his 1,000th career point during the game, becoming the fifth fastest Razorback to reach the milestone and the eighth player in school history to do so in his first two seasons with the team. At the conclusion of the regular season, Jones was named First Team All-SEC and was named co-

SEC Player of the Year Southeastern Conference Player of the Year refers to the most outstanding player for the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in a given sport for a given season. For lists of individual sport SEC Players of the Year by year: *Southeastern Conference Bas ...

by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

along with Reggie Perry of Mississippi State. Jones averaged 22 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game, shooting 45.3 percent from the floor. After the season, he declared for the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...

but did not sign with an agent.

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2020–2021)

After going undrafted in the

, Jones agreed to terms on a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

on November 26, 2020. However, he was waived on March 8, 2021. Shortly after four days, the Rockets signed Jones to a 10-day contract.

Philadelphia 76ers (2021)

On March 26, 2021, the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

announced that they had signed Jones to a

. On May 6, he was waived by the 76ers.

South Bay Lakers (2021)

On November 6, 2021, Jones signed with the

South Bay Lakers The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first National Basketball Associa ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. In 12 games, he averaged 18.2 points (.518 FG%, .420 3FG%), 6.1 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.2 minutes per game.

Los Angeles Lakers (2021–2022)

On December 21, 2021, Jones signed a two-way contract with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. Jones joined the Lakers'

2022 NBA Summer League The 2022 NBA Summer League, also branded as the NBA 2K23 Summer League 2022, was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) primarily at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus ...

roster.

Capitanes de Ciudad de México (2022–2023)

On October 11, 2022, the

Capitanes de Ciudad de México The Capitanes de Ciudad de México (English: ''Mexico City Captains'') are a Mexican professional basketball team based in Mexico City, Mexico. The Capitanes competed as a member club in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) for the ...

announced that they had acquired the returning right for Jones in a three-team trade. On October 22, 2022, Jones was included in training camp roster for the

Darüşşafaka (2023–present)

On July 16, 2023, Jones signed with Darüşşafaka Lassa of the

(BSL).

Career statistics

NBA statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, 26 , , 1 , , 11.8 , , .412 , , .359 , , .614 , , 2.0 , , 1.5 , , .2 , , .0 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 6 , , 0 , , 4.5 , , .556 , , .500 , , .714 , , .7 , , .5 , , .2 , , .0 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 12.8 , , .467 , , .250 , , .800 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 6.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 36 , , 1 , , 10.7 , , .428 , , .357 , , .658 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 5.4

College

NCAA Division I

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, 34 , , 26 , , 29.3 , , .404 , , .365 , , .804 , , 3.9 , , 2.8 , , .9 , , .1 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 30 , , 33.9 , , .453 , , .351 , , .826 , , 5.5 , , 3.4 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 22.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 65 , , 56 , , 31.5 , , .431 , , .358 , , .819 , , 4.6 , , 3.1 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 17.6

NJCAA

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Connors State , 35 , , 25 , , – , , .515 , , .429 , , .774 , , 6.9 , , 2.5 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , 15.5

Personal life

Jones' older brother, Matt Jones, played college basketball at Duke and has played professionally in the NBA G League and overseas.

References

External links

Arkansas Razorbacks bioConnors State Cowboys bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Mason 1998 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players Basketball players from Texas Capitanes de Ciudad de México players Connors State Cowboys basketball players Darüşşafaka Basketbol players Houston Rockets players Los Angeles Lakers players Philadelphia 76ers players Shooting guards South Bay Lakers players Sportspeople from DeSoto, Texas Undrafted National Basketball Association players