The Phoenix Suns announced the promotion of James Jones to President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, the team announced Monday.
In January, the Suns gave Jones an extension, and now they are giving him a promotion.
Jones was originally named the Suns’ general manager in 2019 after rejoining the franchise as vice president of basketball operations in 2017.
“I am grateful for the privilege to work with and support the players, staff and employees of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury,” Jones said via a press release. “The collective efforts of our business and basketball operations have allowed us to provide an amazing atmosphere and best-in-class experience for our fans and community. I remain excited about and dedicated to driving success for our Teams on and off the court.”
In one of Jones’ first moves as general manager, he hired Monty Williams as head coach; the Suns jumped from 19 wins to 34 in Jones and Williams’ first season together in 2019-20, then to 51 wins the following season and 64 victories a season ago that earned Williams NBA Coach of the Year honors.
Jones and his staff in their first three seasons include an undefeated NBA Bubble run (2020), consecutive playoff berths after a 10-year drought (2020-21, 2021-22), back-to-back Pacific Division titles (2020-21, 2021-22), a single-season franchise-record 64 regular season wins (2021-22), a franchise-record 18-game win streak (2021-22), a Western Conference title (2020-21), and the league’s best record since the start of the 2020-21 season. Jones was honored as NBA Executive of the Year in 2021.
“In the nearly 15 years I have known James, he has excelled in every role he performed, from player to NBPA Treasurer to his roles in our front office, most recently as general manager,” Suns Interim Governor Sam Garvin said. “James has the unique ability to create and lead high-performing teams in basketball operations and his commitment to collaborating with our business side, including at the C-level with partners like PayPal and Verizon, is second to none. We are fortunate for his contributions across the organization and this promotion recognizes his commitment to excellence.”
Currently, the Suns(13-6) have the best record in the Western Conference.
