ESPN and Sacramento Kings broadcaster Mark Jones went to Twitter to announce a cool moment for his family.
Jones will call play-by-play for San Jose State’s women’s basketball game versus Air Force on Wednesday night. Why is that special? Jones’s daughter, Sophia, is a reserve sophomore point guard on the Spartans, averaging 13 minutes and nearly three points per game.
As Jones mentioned in his tweet, the broadcast will air on NBC Sports California, which carries the Sacramento Kings telecasts that Jones usually calls. Best known for his work on ESPN calling college football and basketball, in addition to the NBA, Jones joined the Kings’ broadcast team last season. (And Sophia was part of Sacramento’s all-female and non-binary telecast nearly a year ago.)
The Kings are off until Feb. 24 due to the NBA All-Star break, so Jones has some extra broadcasting time on his hand. And with a late-morning tip-off, NBC Sports California also has an excellent opportunity to give a spotlight to local sports that probably don’t receive attention otherwise.
Broadcasting alongside Jones will be ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, a San Jose State alum, who covers the NBA for The Undefeated. Spears is presumably on his All-Star break as well and is showing some school pride by getting behind the mic.
Prior to playing at San Jose State, Sophia Jones was a star at Miami’s Cypress Bay High School, where she holds the career scoring record and earned All-Broward County honors. She may be following her father’s path to broadcasting, majoring in radio, television, and film. (Her uncle, Paul Jones, is the radio play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Raptors.)
San Jose State tips off at home against Air Force at 11 a.m. PT on NBC Sports California.