The Sacramento Kings announced today that Mark Jones has been named as the team’s new primary TV play-by-play announcer. Universally recognized for his nationally televised work on ESPN and ABC Sports, Jones brings more than 30 years of experience to Sacramento. He will call game action alongside Kings TV color analyst and Legend Doug Christie on NBC Sports California, the exclusive home of Kings basketball, beginning in the 2020-21 season.
“We are delighted to welcome Mark to the Kings family and watch him partner with Doug to form a new, dynamic broadcast team for the franchise and its proud fans,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “Throughout his impressive career, Mark has amassed a tremendous wealth of experience broadcasting some of the largest events this league has hosted. We are excited he has chosen to continue his career in Sacramento as we look towards the bright future of this organization.
"Mark is an exceptional NBA broadcasting talent, as evidenced by his long and successful career on both a national and local level," added NBC Sports Bay Area/California Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Murphy. "We’re thrilled to bring Mark on board and look forward to pairing him up with Doug for our expert Kings coverage beginning this season.”
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“I am thrilled to join the Kings broadcast team. During my years of covering the league extensively, Sacramento has always stood among the top for its passionate and deeply loyal fan base,” said Jones. “I am thankful to Vivek and the organization for this incredible opportunity. My family and I are excited to move to Sacramento and become a part of the community.”
Jones most recently represented ESPN in Orlando as part of the network’s broadcast team during the 2019-20 NBA season restart. He will continue as a play-by-play commentator for ESPN’s NBA and college football coverage while serving as the lead TV voice for the Kings, calling the majority of games. For those games Jones is absent, the team will announce an additional play-by-play announcer soon who will also have pre- and post-game show responsibilities on NBC Sports California.
Since beginning at ESPN in 1990, Jones has been involved with a wide range of assignments. Prior to his role with the network covering NBA and college football, Jones previously worked on broadcasts for the NBA Finals, WNBA, and men’s and women’s college basketball.
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From 1991-96 and 2007-10, Jones hosted the network’s SportsCenter coverage of the NBA Finals and called play-by-play for the 2011 NBA Finals for ESPN 3D. He has also hosted ESPN’s coverage of NBA All-Star events, the NBA Draft Lottery and has contributed to the network’s NBA Draft coverage. Jones previously hosted ESPN’s NBA Today and on occasion served as an anchor/reporter on SportsCenter. In addition, Jones has been assigned to events airing on ABC since 1990 with duties including college football, college basketball, the World League and various events on ABC’s Wide World of Sports.
Before joining ESPN and ABC Sports, Jones worked from 1986-90 for The Sports Network in Toronto, Canada, where he was the sports desk anchor and host of a Toronto Blue Jays magazine show. The Toronto native graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1985. At York, he was a four-year member of the basketball team, earning All-Conference recognition. Jones has also represented Canada in international basketball competition.
As the official television partner of the Sacramento Kings, NBC Sports California delivers exclusive, regional coverage of all Kings games, including surrounding game coverage on “Kings Pregame Live” and “Kings Postgame Live.” Authenticated NBC Sports California subscribers can also live stream all Kings telecasts via NBCSportsCalifornia.com and the “MyTeams by NBC Sports” app. In addition, Kings fans can also visit NBCSportsCalifornia.com and the “MyTeams” app 24/7 for the latest Kings news, expert analysis, exclusive video, and more provided by the network’s Kings “Insider” James Ham.