Derrick Labrent Jones Jr. (born February 15, 1997) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). 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

UNLV Runnin' Rebels The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are the men's basketball team that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the Mountain West Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); it plays at the Thomas & Mack Center on campus. As ...

. Jones signed with the Phoenix Suns in September 2016 after going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft. He joined the Miami Heat in December 2017 and reached the NBA Finals with the team in 2020. In November 2020, he signed with the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. Jones was traded to the Bulls in August 2021.

High school career

As a senior at

Archbishop John Carroll High School Archbishop John Carroll High School is a four-year secondary school part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, located in Radnor, Pennsylvania, on a 55-acre campus. History Archbishop John Carroll High School was opened in September ...

in 2014–15, he was named the Southeastern Pennsylvania Player of the Year, the Delaware County Player of the Year, was the PIAA Triple-A Player of the Year, and was selected first-team All-Catholic League. Under coach Paul Romanczuk, Archbishop Carroll went 23–7 overall in 2014–15, including a 12–3 mark in conference play. In the semifinals of the state tournament, he recorded 30 points, 18 rebounds and five blocked shots. For the season, he averaged 19.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. During his high school career, he scored 1,645 points, collected 1,029 rebounds and blocked 268 shots, finishing as the highest scorer in school history.

College career

Jones joined the

for his freshman season in the 2015–16 NCAA season. Prior to the start of the season, the NCAA Eligibility Center requested that the ACT investigate test scores recorded by Jones and several other minority student-athletes from a particular testing site in Baltimore, Maryland. Despite this, Jones was cleared by the NCAA prior to UNLV's first game against Cal Poly in November. Jones was the Runnin' Rebels' second-leading scorer in 2015–16. He averaged 11.5 points on 58.9 percent shooting and 4.5 rebounds in 30 games. Jones recorded four double-doubles during the season, including a career-high 26 points to go with 10 rebounds against Chaminade at the

Maui Invitational Tournament The Maui Invitational, currently known as the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, is an annual early-season college basketball tournament that takes place Thanksgiving week, normally in Lahaina, Hawaii, at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui. ...

. On February 29, 2016, UNLV was notified by the ACT testing service that Jones' score had been cancelled. As a result, Jones was deemed ineligible to compete under NCAA rules and was forced to sit out the remaining three games of UNLV's season.

Professional career

Phoenix Suns (2016–2017)

On April 7, 2016, Jones declared for the 2016 NBA draft, but left open the possibility of returning to UNLV or going to another college program by not hiring an agent. Later that month, Jones hired an agent and remained in the draft. Jones ultimately went undrafted in the 2016 draft, and subsequently joined the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

for the

2016 NBA Summer League The 2016 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week- ...

. However, due to a groin injury, he was unable to play for the Kings during the tournament. On September 25, 2016, Jones signed with the Phoenix Suns for training camp. Jones secured an opening-night roster spot after impressing the Suns during training camp and preseason. He made his NBA debut in his home state against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 19, 2016, and recorded his first field goal in the NBA to finish with three points in three minutes against the

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

on December 15, 2016. Despite spending much of the 2016–17 season in the NBA Development League with the

Northern Arizona Suns The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play a ...

, Jones was selected to compete in the

NBA Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

. He went on to make it through to the final round of the Slam Dunk Contest, where he ultimately lost to

Glenn Robinson III Glenn Alan Robinson III (born January 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. Rob ...

. On February 28, 2017, he scored eight points in a 130–112 loss to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. Two days later, he had another eight-point effort in a 123–103 win over the Charlotte Hornets. On March 11, 2017, in a 100–98 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Jones made his first start, logging two points, a season-high seven rebounds, and one assist. On March 28, 2017, he had his first double-digit scoring game of his career, scoring 13 points in a 95–91 loss to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. On April 9, 2017, he scored a career-high 15 points in a 124–111 win over the Dallas Mavericks. In July 2017, Jones joined the Suns for the

2017 NBA Summer League The 2017 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Eight teams participated in the wee ...

. In November 2017, he had multiple assignments to the Northern Arizona Suns of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. On December 7, 2017, he was waived by the Suns. Jones appeared in 38 games with Phoenix over two seasons, averaging 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 15.2 minutes.

Northern Arizona Suns (2017)

On December 12, 2017, Jones was acquired by the

Miami Heat (2017–2020)

On December 31, 2017, Jones signed 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

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. On a two-way contract, Jones split his playing time between the Heat and their

affiliate, the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

. He made his first start for the Heat on January 9, 2018 in just his third game, recording eight points, five rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 28 minutes against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

. On July 1, 2018, Jones signed a 2-year, $3.2 million standard contract with the Heat. Jones won the

Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

over

Aaron Gordon Aaron Addison Gordon (born September 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the University of Arizona before bein ...

during the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend. They both had perfect scores in their first two dunks in the second round, forcing an overtime round. After they both earned perfect scores on their initial dunks, Jones won by scoring a 48 after taking off just past the free throw line to complete a windmill dunk; Gordon received a 47 after dunking over

Tacko Fall Elhadji Tacko Sereigne Diop Fall (born 10 December 1995) is a Senegalese professional basketball player for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Fall was born and raised in Dakar, Senegal. He moved to the Uni ...

. The Heat reached the

2020 NBA Finals The 2020 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2019–20 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Laker ...

, but lost in 6 games to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Portland Trail Blazers (2020–2021)

On November 22, 2020, Jones signed a 2-year, $19 million contract with the

Chicago Bulls (2021–present)

On August 28, 2021, Jones was acquired, alongside a first and a second round pick, by the

in a three-team sign-and-trade also involving the Cleveland Cavaliers. On January 12, 2022, during a 112–138 loss to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

, Jones suffered a right knee injury. The next day, the Bulls announced that he had a

bone bruise A bruise, also known as a contusion, is a type of hematoma of tissue, the most common cause being capillaries damaged by trauma, causing localized bleeding that extravasates into the surrounding interstitial tissues. Most bruises occur close ...

and would miss at least 4-to-6 weeks, although the timetable was later upgraded to 2-to-4 weeks. On January 26, the Bulls announced that Jones had fractured his right index finger during a workout and would miss an additional 6-to-8 weeks. On the same day, however, he was upgraded to a timetable of 1-to-2 weeks in order to determine if he could play with a splint. On July 6, 2022, Jones re-signed with the Bulls on a two-year, $6.6 million contract.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

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Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, 14 , , 8 , , 15.1 , , .388 , , .188 , , .611 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .2 , , .6 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 14 , , 19.2 , , .494 , , .308 , , .607 , , 4.0 , , .6 , , .8 , , .7 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 59 , , 16 , , 23.3 , , .527 , , .280 , , .772 , , 3.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 58 , , 43 , , 22.7 , , .484 , , .316 , , .648 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , .6 , , .9 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 51 , , 8 , , 17.6 , , .538 , , .328 , , .800 , , 3.3 , , .6 , , .5 , , .6 , , 5.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 280 , , 97 , , 19.8 , , .509 , , .298 , , .699 , , 3.4 , , .7 , , .7 , , .7 , , 6.5

Playoffs

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2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

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, 15 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .471 , , .444 , , .400 , , .8 , , .5 , , .4 , , .3 , , 1.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

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, 2 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .400 , , .000 , , — , , .0 , , .0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

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

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 5 , , 0 , , 11.8 , , .412 , , .273 , , .667 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .2 , , .0 , , 3.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 22 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .436 , , .318 , , .500 , , .9 , , .4 , , .4 , , .2 , , 2.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

, 30 , , 15 , , 21.5 , , .589 , , .205 , , .594 , , 4.5 , , .8 , , .9 , , 1.3 , , 11.5

Personal life

Jones has one brother and two sisters. On June 25, 2020, Jones tested positive for the coronavirus.

References

External links

UNLV Runnin' Rebels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Derrick Jr. 1997 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Archbishop John Carroll High School alumni Basketball players from Pennsylvania Chicago Bulls players Miami Heat players Northern Arizona Suns players Phoenix Suns players Portland Trail Blazers players Small forwards Sportspeople from Chester, Pennsylvania Undrafted National Basketball Association players UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball players