The Jerry Colangelo Award
The Jerry Colangelo Award is named in honor of the former CEO of the Phoenix Suns; Chairman of USA Basketball; elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004; All-Big Ten performer in 1961 and 1962.
Jerry Colangelo is known throughout professional sports as a man who excels both on and off the court. Jerry’s character, integrity, and leadership have lead to national recognition as he has been named NBA Executive of the Year on four separate occasions.
The Bobby Jones Award
The Bobby Jones Award is given annually to a current or former NBA player exhibiting exceptional integrity and service both on and off the court. The award is named for former NBA All-Star Bobby Jones.
About Bobby Jones
Surprisingly, Jones says that he didn’t truly learn to play defense until his freshman year at the University of North Carolina. Jones’ statement is ironic in light of his celebrated collegiate and NBA careers. As a collegiate player at UNC, Jones led the Tarheels to the Final Four (1972), and the same year also played for the U.S. Olympic team.
Jones was drafted in the first round of both the ABA and NBA drafts in 1974. He played two seasons with the ABA’s Denver Rockets before being traded to Philadelphia due to health concerns, but went on to have great success with the 76ers.
Over his 12 years in the ABA and NBA, Jones made the All-Defensive First Team 10 consecutive years, and is a four-time NBA All-Star. In the ’82-’83 season he and teammates Julius Erving and Moses Malone led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA championship, sweeping the L.A. Lakers in four games. During the 1977-78 season he led the NBA in field-goal percentage.
In 2003, Jones partnered with former NBA stars David Thompson and Bart Kofoed to found 2xsalt, a program using sports to make an impact on the youth of Charlotte, N.C. Currently, Jones coaches the middle school boys’ basketball team at Carmel Christian School.