NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that James Jones, a three-time NBA champion as a player and an NBA Basketball Executive of the Year Award recipient, has been appointed Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.  He will report to Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.

Jones will oversee all Basketball Operations matters for the NBA, including the development of playing rules and interpretations, conduct and discipline, and policies and procedures relating to the operation of games.  He will engage with players, coaches, team executives and referees on the state of the game, style of play and playing rules issues.  In collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders, Jones will develop innovative strategies and solutions that sustain the highest level of play and competition.  He will replace Joe Dumars, who left the league office in April to become the New Orleans Pelicans’ Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.

“James is widely respected across the NBA for being an inspiring leader and the consummate teammate during his more than 20 years as a highly successful player and team executive,” said Spruell.  “With his exceptional relationship-building skills and deep basketball expertise, he is well suited to guide our efforts to shape the current and future direction of the NBA game.”

“I’m thrilled and honored to take on the responsibility of leading the Basketball Operations department,” said Jones.  “This is an exciting opportunity to pour my passion for the game into a new role and collaborate with so many talented professionals on driving the continued success and growth of the NBA.”

Jones joins the league office after working the last eight seasons in the Phoenix Suns’ Basketball Operations group.  He was hired as Vice President of Basketball Operations in 2017, officially named General Manager in 2019 and promoted to President of Basketball Operations/General Manager in 2022.  In May 2025, Jones transitioned to the role of Senior Advisor.

As the Suns’ top basketball executive, Jones helped lead the franchise to four consecutive playoff berths.  That stretch started in the 2020-21 season, when Jones was named the NBA Basketball Executive of the Year as Phoenix finished with a 51-21 record, earned a playoff spot for the first time in 11 years and made its first NBA Finals appearance since 1993.  The following season, the Suns won a franchise-record 64 games and advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals.

Jones joined the Suns immediately after completing his 14-year playing career in the NBA.  He played for the Indiana Pacers, Phoenix, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers, appearing in 709 regular-season games and 148 playoff games.

Nicknamed “Champ,” Jones won two NBA championships with Miami (2011-12 and 2012-13) and one with Cleveland (2015-16).  Jones reached the NBA Finals in each of his final seven seasons, and he never played for a team that finished a season with a losing record.

Selected by the Pacers in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft, Jones shot 40.1% from three-point range for his career.  He ranked third in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage in 2007-08 (44.4) and seventh in 2010-11 (42.9).  Jones won the 3-Point Contest at NBA All-Star 2011 in Los Angeles.

During his playing tenure, Jones served as Secretary-Treasurer of the National Basketball Players Association from 2008-17.  The Miami native earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Miami, where he played basketball for four seasons.  In 2014, Jones was inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Jones and his wife, Destiny, have two daughters, Jadynn and Jodie, and a son, James.