A whole generation of basketball fans and players have grown up idolizing LeBron James. All the while, LeBron's been idolizing James Jones.
"He's my favorite player of all time," James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
That's awfully high praise for a guy who's started just 91 games in his career, and has never averaged more than 23.6 minutes or 9.3 points in a season. But James says Jones' value as a teammate is unquantifiable.
"I told J.J. as long as I'm playing, he's going to be around," James said. "He's not allowed to stop playing basketball. So, I'm going to make sure I got a roster spot for him. I love him. He's the greatest teammate I've ever had."
James and Jones have been teammates for six years running, beginning when James commenced his tenure with the Miami Heat - where the pair made four finals appearances, and won two championships together. After that, James was instrumental in bringing Jones to the Cleveland Cavaliers when he returned there two summers ago.
Jones told McMenamin about the phone call he received from James during that offseason.
"It was, 'Hey, Champ, I enjoyed our time in Miami, but I think I'm going home,'" Jones said. "And I told him as a Miami guy, I was a little heartbroken, but as a brother and a teammate I'm ecstatic that he's doing what's best for him and his family.
"So that was the initial part, and then the second part was, 'Hey, I want you to come with here and help me change this thing and do something special.'"
James also brought Mike Miller, another former Miami role player to whom he's been fiercely loyal, with him to Cleveland. But Miller had a dreadful season last year, and the Cavs traded him in the offseason. Jones has remained a productive, if little-used, reserve this year, hitting 40 percent of his threes, and averaging 14.5 points per 36 minutes. In Cleveland's decimation of the Orlando Magic on Friday night, he scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
But far more important than on-court performance, it seems, is that Jones is someone who is loved, trusted, and looked up to by his teammates.
"If you were in school, he'd be the guy to sit next to in class," said Cavs power forward Kevin Love. "So I sit next to him on the plane, I pick his brain in the locker room. I pick his brain about basketball. I pick his brain about my family. Everything. He's probably one of, if not, my best friend in the league."
As for James' appraisal of him as his favorite player, Jones says the feeling is mutual.
"He already knows it's a reciprocation because he's my favorite player ever."
