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Wallace Clayton "Wah Wah" Jones (July 14, 1926 – July 27, 2014) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1949 to 1952 with the Indianapolis Olympians.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | July 14, 1926 Harlan, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | July 27, 2014 (aged 88) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Harlan (Harlan, Kentucky) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Kentucky (1945–1949) | ||||||||||||||
| BAA draft | 1949: 1st round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Washington Capitols | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1949–1952 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Power forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 17 | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1949–1952 | Indianapolis Olympians | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 1,428 (10.2 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 408 (5.1 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 429 (3.1 apg) | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Jones was born in Harlan, Kentucky. He attended Harlan High School, where he set a national scoring record in basketball and led his school to a state championship. He was all-state in football, basketball and baseball.[1]
Jones attended the University of Kentucky, where he continued to play varsity football, basketball and baseball. He was twice All-SEC in football. In basketball, he was a three time All-American and four time All-SEC. He led the Wildcats to two NCAA Championships, in 1948 and 1949. Jones was a member of the 1948 Olympic Gold medal-winning team with Adolph Rupp's "Fabulous Five" and the Phillips 66ers. During his four years at Kentucky, the basketball team had a combined record of 130–10 and won the SEC championship every year.[1][2]
He holds the unique distinction of being an All-American under both legends, Adolph Rupp (basketball) and Bear Bryant (football) when both coached at Kentucky. He is the only player to have his number retired in both football and basketball at Kentucky.[3] At the University of Kentucky, Jones was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.[4] Jones was selected in the seventh round of the 1949 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, but did not play in the league.[5]
In 1953, Jones was elected the sheriff of Fayette County, Kentucky.[6] In 1956, Jones was the Republican nominee for Kentucky's 6th congressional district seat in the United States House of Representatives. Though Dwight Eisenhower, heading the Republican ticket, carried the state, Jones lost the election to Democrat John C. Watts.[6]
In 1978, Jones started a charter bus company called "Blue Grass Tours" that is contracted to the UK Athletics department. Blue Grass Tours is currently run by his son Wallace (Wah) Jones and grandson Corey Jones, and manages a fleet of coach busses for the use of the athletic teams.[7]
"Wah Wah"
Known as Wallace in his early years, Jones acquired the nickname, "Wah Wah", when his younger sister Jackie, just learning to talk, could not pronounce his name.[7]
Death
Jones died in Lexington on July 27, 2014, at the age of 88.[7]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Source[8]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Indianapolis | 60 | – | .374 | .751 | – | 3.2 | 12.5 |
| 1950–51 | Indianapolis | 22 | – | .392 | .792 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 11.2 |
| 1951–52 | Indianapolis | 58 | 22.8 | .313 | .750 | 4.9 | 2.6 | 7.4 |
| Career | 140 | 22.8 | .355 | .757 | 5.1 | 3.1 | 10.2 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Indianapolis | 5 | .301 | .853 | 4.4 | 14.6 | ||
| 1952 | Indianapolis | 1 | 8.0 | .333 | – | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Career | 6 | 8.0 | .303 | .853 | .0 | 3.7 | 12.5 | |
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