Mark Jones’ time at ESPN is over.
Jones, who’s been calling games for ESPN for 36 years, will leave the network before the playoffs, The Athletic reported Friday.
His last broadcast will be Sunday’s Celtics-Magic game at 6 p.m.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that Jones left by choice, though it’s unclear why.
Jackson added that ESPN said Jones could’ve stayed, and he is not expected to retire, per The Athletic.
ESPN also released a statement Friday about Jones’ departure.
“Mark has made an enduring impact at ESPN since 1990, serving as a signature voice primarily within our NBA and college football coverage and across nearly all of our platforms,” ESPN said in the statement. “We’re grateful for Mark’s countless contributions and we wish him continued success.”
Jones had been with ESPN since 1990, mostly calling NBA and college football games.
At one point in his career, he was ESPN’s No. 2 NBA voice behind the iconic Mike Breen. That allowed him to fill in and call two NBA Finals games when Breen came down with COVID in 2022.
Since then, though, he’s been leapfrogged by the likes of Dave Pasch and Ryan Ruocco on ESPN’s depth chart.
Jones — a former NYU basketball player — started his broadcasting journey following his playing career ending in 1986.
He first began as an anchor for The Sports Network in his home country of Canada, hosting the Toronto Blue Jays magazine show until 1990.
His time at ESPN began after that stint as the host of “NBA Today,” a weekly show. He eventually moved his way up to play-by-play duties, where recently he’s been paired with analysts like Jay Bilas, Doris Burke and Jon Barry on ESPN’s coverage. He even briefly called games for the Sacramento Kings.
Jones also made appearances on ESPN’s college football coverage, working with analyst Louis Riddick. He often called Pac-12 late games prior to the conference’s realignment in 2024.
He’s also called men’s and women’s college basketball, WNBA and NHL games over the course of his career.
Now, Jones will look for the next stop of his lengthy career.
