JIM CHONES

Biography

Jim Chones spent eleven years as a color analyst for the Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball Team. Chones played with the Cavaliers for five seasons, including the “Miracle of Richfield” season in 1974-75, when he averaged a career and team high 15.8 points per game, while contributing 9.0 rebounds per contest. In April 1991, Chones was chosen by Cavs Fans as the Center for the “Classic Cavs Team” covering the first 20 years of Cleveland Cavaliers History

Before joining the Cavaliers 1974-75 season, Chones played two years in the American Basketball Association, for the New York Nets and the Carolina Cougars. He earned an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in

Jim vs Kareem

1980 and after two years with the Lakers, he completed his NBA career with the Washington Bullets (Wizards). During 1981-82, Chones played in Florence, Italy and in the fall of 1982, he played in Rome (Roma) for Banco de Roma.

Chones played three seasons with the Marquette University Warriors before turning pro. He was only the second college player (in NCAA history) to leave college before his graduating year to play in the NBA. He played on the 1972 United States Pan American Team. In the same year, he was named to the UPI and AP College All-American First Team.

Marquette Days

He began his broadcasting career as the color analyst for the Baldwin Wallace College Men Basketball Team on cable during the 1984-85 Season. Chones has worked for Sports channel (FoxSports) American, broadcasting the “National High School Game of the Week”. He also broadcast Conference USA Collegiate Basketball Games. He has also worked for ESPN and CBS Sports. He produced and directed a one hour television Sports Talk Show called “Sports Profiles” nationally syndicated on FoxSports.

During the summer of 1991, Chones worked at several radio sports talk and call-in shows for WKNR and WERE of Cleveland. Currently he is a color commentator for ESPN college basketball games.

Jim is the former Division Head of Sports and Recreation for the City of Bedford Heights, Ohio. He and his wife are the proud parents of daughters Kareeda Chones-Aguam (Marquette University graduate in 1998), now working for the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA as a Corporate Sales Executive/Coordinator. Kaayla (North Carolina State University graduate in 2004) and a WNBA draftee, 04, (Washington Mystics), and triplets sons, Kameron, (graduated from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island in 2007), Kendall and Kyle, (graduated in May 2008 from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York). Kaayla is in her 4^th year of playing professional basketball in Europe (With stops in Hungary, Spain, France and now Italy.) Kendall is in his 1^st year of playing professional basketball in Europe. (Germany) Kyle is waiting to be placed on a team, as we speak. (Also in Europe) Kameron is a Financial Consultant with Smith/Barney Financials in Cleveland Ohio

Thirty-five years after leaving college, during his junior year at Marquette University, Jim received his degree in Philosophy. In addition, he was inducted into the Marquette University Hall of Fame in early October of 2004. Cleveland Sports Commission Hall of Fame 2006. Also, he has been elected to the St. Malachi Church Social and Youth Agency, Board of Directors in late July of 2008.

He also is President of a Youth Development and Educational Initiative, called “In The Beginning There Was Light”. This is a Cultural Arts Program which includes Music, Dance, Drama, Hip-Hop, Comedy and Creative Writing, for kids (3^rd grade to 12^th grade). He also has a non-profit corporation, called: The Phoenix Component” which works with under privileged kids from the Greater Cleveland area.