Ozell Jones

Ozell Jones

Personal information
Born	(1960-11-20)November 20, 1960 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	September 7, 2006(2006-09-07) (aged 45) Lancaster, California, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school	Long Beach Polytechnic (Long Beach, California)
College	Wichita State (1979–1981) Cal State Fullerton (1982–1984)
NBA draft	1984: 4th round, 90th overall pick
Drafted by	San Antonio Spurs
Playing career	1984–1994
Position	Center / power forward
Number	8, 20
Career history
1984–1985	San Antonio Spurs
1985–1986	Mulat Napoli
1986	Los Angeles Clippers
1986–1987	Cincinnati Slammers
1987	Miami Tropics
1987–1988	Quad City Thunder
1988	Miami Tropics
1989–1990	Tulsa Fast Breakers
1993–1994	Tri-City Chinook
1994–1995	Oklahoma City Cavalry
Career highlights
All-CBA Second Team (1990) CBA All-Defensive Team (1990) CBA blocks leader (1990)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Stats at Basketball Reference
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

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. 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 Continental Basketball Association (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). Jones was selected to the All-CBA Second Team and All-Defensive Team in 1990. 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.

Death

On 7 September 2006, Jones was found by relatives shot dead in his apartment. He was 45 years old. According to police reports, he bled to death from a single gunshot wound to the upper torso. 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)