NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of The 1990s
By Phil Watson
50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 43. Eddie Jones
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Temple swingman Eddie Jones with the 10th overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft and he bloomed as one of the top two-way players in the late 1990s.
An All-Rookie pick in 1994-95, Jones was a two-time All-Star for the Lakers and made the All-Defensive team in 1997-98.
He finished fourth in the NBA in steals and steals per game in 1996-97.
Jones was traded along with Elden Campbell in March 1999 to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Glen Rice, B.J. Armstrong and J.R. Reid.
In parts of five seasons with the Lakers, Jones averaged 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, three assists and 2.1 steals in 34.4 minutes per game, shooting .463/.378/.769.
He closed out the decade with 30 games in Charlotte, averaging 17 points, 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, three steals and 1.1 blocks in 38.6 minutes per game, shooting .446/.359/.801.
He was also an All-Defensive pick in 1998-99, finishing second in the NBA in steals and steals per game that season.
Jones spent another nine seasons in the NBA with the Hornets, Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks, earning another All-Star bid, an All-Defensive nod and an All-NBA selection. He retired in October 2008 after he was waived by the Indiana Pacers in training camp.