Ex-Suns GM James Jones and son J.D. on high school basketball journey
Former Phoenix Suns player and general manager James Jones and his son, J.D., discuss putting basketball and life in perspective.
NBA executive James Jones prioritizes teaching his son, J.D., the importance of doing the little things to contribute to a team’s success.J.D. plays for Phoenix Country Day, a smaller school chosen by his father for its community and focus on personal growth.
Playmaking, passing, rebounding, defending, talking — all those things go into winning.
Those are things that former NBA player, Suns general manager and current NBA executive vice president and head of basketball operations James Jones has discussed with his son since J.D. was no taller than his dad’s knees.
But that isn’t all that the 6-foot-8-inch Jones talks through with his son, a 6-foot-5-inch senior. It’s about doing the little things that nobody else wants to do. It’s about becoming a “complete person.”
“We talk a lot about winning, and doing whatever is needed to help your team,” James said. “When you’re in a team sport, you have to know how you contribute and what a team needs.
“I always try to teach him. He’s always been a kid who gravitated towards the things that nobody else wants to do. The little things, the hard things that you appreciate only when you’re victorious. When you lose, nobody remembers anything. When you win, they remember every little thing.”
James Jones grew up in Miami, Florida, as a big who could shoot the ball with deep range. He ended up winning three NBA championships, two with the Miami Heat in 2012 and ’13 and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, sometimes delivering big 3-pointers in crunch time.
James’ approach with his son has paid off in practice and games.
“J.D. is the hardest-working guy in the gym,” coach Shane Lewis said. “He’s always been. He’s just a gym rat. I don’t have to go after him hard because he accepts his failures to make himself better. My conversations with him can be pretty level-headed, and he knows.”
J.D., the team’s best player, is scoring 23 points per game this season.
When James Jones isn’t traveling around the country for his NBA role, he makes sure he attends his son’s games. And makes sure J.D. learns every position.
J.D. hasn’t decided on a college, but he’s allowed to play point guard at a small school to develop at a position he’ll likely play at the next level.
James could have taken his son anywhere to play high school basketball. He could impact at the highest Arizona Interscholastic Association level in 6A. He could impact at a top prep academy level.
But James said the quality of life that his son is getting as a person, more than a player, at the north Phoenix private school is more important than being part of a top-tier program that has Division I college coaches flocking to find talent.
“I think in order to be a great player, you have to be a great person,” James said. “It’s not the three hours on the floor that defines you. It’s the 21 hours off the court that defines you.
“I wanted to put him in a place where the next 21 hours would put him in a position to be the best person he can be. And the basketball will take care of itself.”
J.D. loves the education and the care from teachers and coaches he gets at Phoenix Country Day, which is still one of the top 2A basketball programs and annually makes a deep run in the state tournament under Lewis.
“Quality of life, especially because it’s a smaller school,” J.D. said. “It’s a lot easier to manage community. And you actually feel like you’re contributing to that community. It’s a lot greater than if you’re at a large school, where you’re just another person.
“It’s important to foster relationships with everybody with close connections. There are people on the court I’ve grown up with over multiple years. It’s really cool to sort of form that deep bond.”
When James Jones moved on from the Suns and took an executive role in the NBA last July, Lewis was afraid that it meant James was going to move away and then he’d be without his top player.
But James has kept his home base in Phoenix, saying family is most important to him. “He is the priority,” James said. “Family has always motivated me.
“I’ve had so many people in my life that priortized me and that allowed me to succeed. I’m here at practices. I’m here at games. There’s nothing more important.”
J.D. is comforted looking up into the stands before every game to see his dad.
“It means the world,” J.D. said. “Knowing you have someone there 24/7, regardless of good times and bad times, it’s really meaningful.”
So when he’s in the moment, gets frustrated with a play he made on the court, J.D. knows his dad will be settling him down and telling him to slow it down.
“It really helps my game a lot,” he said.
Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azc_obert