Veteran announcer Mark Jones is leaving the ESPN booth behind, but he isn’t hanging up his headset just yet.
Jones announced on Friday that Sunday’s game between the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics at TD Garden will be his last on the call for ESPN. He shared the news in a heartfelt post on Instagram.
“Sunday’s Magic at Celtics game will be the last event I work for ESPN,” Jones wrote.
“It’s been a memorable journey these decades with the ABC/ESPN family, but I have decided that it’s time to move on. From the day Dennis Swanson hired me in 1990 and working with the best producer in the business Kim Belton, until today I will forever be grateful for the many friends and colleagues along the way.
“As I move on to my next chapter I believe my best work is yet to come. I’ll be out there cookin’ hotter than fish grease!”
Jones joined ESPN 36 years ago. The Canadian on-air talent started as the host of ESPN’s weekly “NBA Today” show before eventually moving to the broadcast booth.
According to the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson, Jones will continue to call games for the Sacramento Kings. Per the report, Jones plans to maintain the post for “a long, long time.” He also expressed gratitude for how warmly both the Kings organization and its fans have received him.
Jones would not commit to whether he would become the Kings’ full-time play-by-play announcer. He previously worked on a part-time basis, with his ESPN call-ups taking priority over Sacramento’s games.
Jones began serving as the Kings’ primary play-by-play man in November 2020. He took over for longtime Sacramento announcer Grant Napear, who was fired for a political remark he made to ex-Kings star DeMarcus Cousins.
