# Wali Jones

Walter (Wali) Jones (born February 14, 1942) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a 6'2" (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) guard. He was point guard on the 1966-1967 Philadelphia 76ers team that is considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history. He has been honored for his longstanding community work in West Philadelphia.

## Early life

Jones was born on February 14, 1942, in Philadelphia, and raised in the Mantua neighborhood of West Philadelphia by Dorothea and Earnest Jones. Jones’s father taught him to be an independent thinker, and at a young age taught Jones interior and exterior decorating so he always would have a trade and could earn a living.
He played basketball at Overbrook High School, the same school that had produced basketball legend and future hall of fame player Wilt Chamberlain a few years earlier. Jones' Overbrook High teams won Philadelphia Public League championships in 1958 and 1959. He was an All-Public League player. His teammates included future NBA player and UCLA head coach Walt Hazzard (Mahdi Abdul-Rahman), future NBA and ABA player Wayne Hightower, and future college basketball player Ralph Heyward. He would work out after school with Hazzard, under the supervision of future hall of fame coach John Chaney, who was their gym teacher at Overbrook.
He played college ball for coach Jack Kraft at Villanova University. The Villanova team was noted for its excellent defense, with Jones as its team captain, star player, and team "quarterback" on offense, and a pass-first player. He played every game in his junior season with an injured knee that later required surgery. One of Jones teammates was future NBA and ABA player, and future 76ers teammate, Bill Melchionni. Jones averaged 16.8 points per game over his three years on the varsity. Jones earned the Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year award (the Robert V. Geasey Trophy) for 1963 and 1964, and was named a 3rd-Team All-American as a senior by United Press International. He was voted Villanovan of the Year, a school wide award open to all students and not just athletes.

## Professional career

In the 1964 NBA draft, Jones was taken in the third round by the Detroit Pistons (20th overall). Before ever playing for the Pistons, Jones was traded along with fellow rookie Les Hunter and veterans Bailey Howell (a future hall of fame inductee), Don Ohl and Bob Ferry to the Baltimore Bullets for Terry Dischinger, Rod Thorn, and Don Kojis.
In his first NBA season for the Bullets, Jones was named to the 1964-1965 first team NBA All-Rookie Team. His Bullets teammates included future hall of fame players Walt Bellamy and Gus Johnson. The next season, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers where he would play for the next six years.
Jones and Hal Greer were the starting guards on the title-winning 1966–67 76ers team that also featured Chamberlain, Chet Walker, Lucious Jackson, Billy Cunningham, and fellow Villanovan Bill Melchionni. Jones made the 76ers' starting lineup at point guard after Larry Costello tore his Achilles tendon on January 6, 1967. Jones played a key role during the 1967 NBA Finals. In Game 1 of the series, Jones scored 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and recorded 8 assists during a 141–135 win. In the championship clinching Game 6, Jones led the Sixers with 27 points (Chamberlain had 24). He averaged 20.2 points per game during the series.
During the 1968 playoffs, before the start of the Eastern Division Finals against the Boston Celtics, news broke of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Several 76ers, including Jones and Chamberlain, were vocally opposed to playing the game; however, they were outvoted by the rest of the team, a decision he regrets.
Jones relates that the Sixers told him he was too "militant" and traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks after the 1970–1971 season. In Milwaukee, Jones became involved in a contract dispute which saw him suspended, placed on waivers, and ultimately released. The Bucks alleged that Jones was involved in cocaine usage, even hiring private detectives to investigate, while Jones staunchly denied the accusations. Ultimately, Jones reached a contract settlement with the Bucks for nearly his full salary and was released by the team.
Jones did not play in the 1973–1974 season. He joined the Utah Stars for the 1974–1975 season. He was later signed as a free agent by the Detroit Pistons on December 17, 1975, but was waived on January 28, 1976. He signed as a free agent with the 76ers on February 27, 1976, and played in his final 16 NBA games as a 76er.
Jones' son Askia is the fourth-leading scorer in Kansas State University basketball history (as of 2024) and played briefly in the NBA himself, with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During his playing days, Jones had the nickname "Wali Wonder".

## Personal life and community service

During his playing years, Jones strongly expressed his identity as an African American. He also converted to Islam and changed his name to Wali. Early in his life, Jones realized it was his life's work to serve young people. While still playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Jones founded Concerned Athletes in Action (CAIA) that ran youth camps and drug-prevention clinics in urban Black communities. This later became Shoot for the Stars, that also included a focus on working to prevent gun violence. Fellow Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame inductee Ken Hamilton works with Jones on Shoot for the Stars. In 2024, Jones was honored by Philadelphia Legacies for his work with Shoot for the Stars.

## Honors

In 2023, a mural of Jones was unveiled at 37th and Mt. Vernon Streets in Mantua at Hub Playground. Jones 106-year-old father, Earnest Jones, was present for the ceremony.
In 2012, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. In 2016, the 1966-1967 Philadelphia 76ers were inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame as a team. In 2022, he was inducted into the Philadelphia Black Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 2022, a group of present and former Philadelphia Inquirer sports writers ranked Jones as the twenty-first greatest Sixer of all time.
As a child, future NBA hall of famer Magic Johnson idolized Jones.

## Career statistics
### NBA
#### Regular season

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1964–65 | Baltimore | 77 | – | 16.2 | .375 | – | .728 | 1.8 | 2.6 | – | – | 5.3 |
| 1965–66 | Philadelphia | 80* | – | 27.5 | .370 | – | .744 | 2.1 | 3.4 | – | – | 9.0 |
| 1966–67† | Philadelphia | 81* | – | 27.8 | .431 | – | .838 | 3.3 | 3.7 | – | – | 13.2 |
| 1967–68 | Philadelphia | 77 | – | 26.7 | .397 | – | .787 | 2.8 | 3.2 | – | – | 12.8 |
| 1968–69 | Philadelphia | 81 | – | 28.9 | .430 | – | .809 | 3.1 | 3.6 | – | – | 13.2 |
| 1969–70 | Philadelphia | 78 | – | 22.3 | .430 | – | .841 | 2.2 | 3.5 | – | – | 11.8 |
| 1970–71 | Philadelphia | 41 | – | 23.5 | .402 | – | .782 | 1.6 | 3.1 | – | – | 10.1 |
| 1971–72 | Milwaukee | 48 | – | 21.5 | .407 | – | .822 | 1.6 | 2.9 | – | – | 7.5 |
| 1972–73 | Milwaukee | 27 | – | 15.5 | .407 | – | .889 | 1.1 | 2.1 | – | – | 5.0 |
| 1975–76 | Detroit | 1 | – | 19.0 | .364 | – | .000 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 8.0 |
| 1975–76 | Philadelphia | 16 | – | 9.8 | .500 | – | .692 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| Career | Career | 607 | – | 23.8 | .409 | – | .800 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 10.1 |

#### Playoffs

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1964–65 | Baltimore | 10 | – | 16.2 | .460 | – | .750 | 2.0 | 1.8 | – | – | 7.3 |
| 1965–66 | Philadelphia | 5 | – | 31.2 | .325 | – | .682 | 3.0 | 3.6 | – | – | 13.0 |
| 1966–67† | Philadelphia | 15* | – | 31.7 | .447 | – | .776 | 2.8 | 4.1 | – | – | 17.5 |
| 1967–68 | Philadelphia | 13 | – | 29.8 | .358 | – | .789 | 2.4 | 3.0 | – | – | 14.1 |
| 1968–69 | Philadelphia | 5 | – | 20.6 | .267 | – | .800 | 3.2 | 1.8 | – | – | 6.4 |
| 1969–70 | Philadelphia | 5 | – | 32.0 | .523 | – | .786 | 2.2 | 4.8 | – | – | 15.8 |
| 1970–71 | Philadelphia | 7 | – | 16.4 | .365 | – | .769 | 1.7 | 1.6 | – | – | 6.9 |
| 1971–72 | Milwaukee | 9 | – | 22.2 | .439 | – | .857 | 2.0 | 2.2 | – | – | 10.0 |
| 1975–76 | Philadelphia | 1 | – | 2.0 | .000 | – | .000 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Career | Career | 70 | – | 25.2 | .406 | – | .777 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11.9 |

### ABA
#### Regular season

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1974–75 | Utah | 71 | – | 18.9 | .405 | .240 | .823 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 7.5 |
| Career | Career | 71 | – | 18.9 | .405 | .240 | .823 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 7.5 |

#### Playoffs

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 1974–75 | Utah | 5 | – | 9.2 | .381 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 4.4 |
| Career | Career | 5 | – | 9.2 | .381 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 4.4 |