Ozell "Hoppy" Jones III (November 20, 1960 – September 7, 2006) was an American professional basketball player. He was listed at and weighed . Born in
St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...
, his family soon moved to
Compton, California
Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...
, and later to
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, so that he could play high school basketball at
Long Beach Polytechnic. Jones first played college basketball with the
Wichita State University
Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
(1979–1981) and helped the "Shockers" reach the
Elite 8 in his second year. He later transferred to
Cal State Fullerton to play for the "Titans" in 1982–1984. He entered the
1984 NBA draft and was chosen in the fourth round (90th pick overall) by the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
. On 24 October 1985, he was waived by the Spurs. He later signed as a free agent with the
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
on March 31, 1986, but played in only three games. After his time in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
, he played overseas in Italy (1986–1987) then spent the rest of his professional career playing in the
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...
(CBA) for the
Cincinnati Slammers (1986–1987),
Quad City Thunder (1987–1988),
Tulsa Fast Breakers (1989–1990),
Tri-City Chinook (1993–1994) and
Oklahoma City Cavalry
The Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry was a professional basketball team based in Lawton, Oklahoma. They played in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) after having been in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). They have one PBL championship an ...
(1994–1995). Jones was selected to the All-CBA Second Team and All-Defensive Team in 1990. He also participated in the
USBL with two spells for the
Miami Tropics in 1987 and 1988. After retiring, he operated a big and tall men's clothing store in
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the popul ...
.
Death
On 7 September 2006, Jones was found by relatives shot dead in his apartment. He was 45 years old. According to police reports, he bled to death from a single gunshot wound to the upper torso.
The investigation of this case remains open. He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Long Beach, California.
Notable awards
* USBL Championship (1987)
* CBA All-Star (1990)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Ozell
1960 births
2006 deaths
Albany Patroons players
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Long Beach, California
Cal State Fullerton Titans men's basketball players
Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets players
Centers (basketball)
Cincinnati Slammers players
Deaths by firearm in California
Long Beach Polytechnic High School alumni
Los Angeles Clippers players
Power forwards
Quad City Thunder players
San Antonio Spurs draft picks
San Antonio Spurs players
Tri-City Chinook players
Tulsa Fast Breakers players
Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players
Unsolved murders in California
2006 murders in the United States