The voice of Sacramento Kings basketball isn't done with broadcasting just yet.
Mark Jones is on a farewell tour with ESPN. But he won't be resting his voice after leaving the worldwide network.
The Sacramento Kings will still hear it loud and clear.
Jones revealed to the Sacramento Bee's Jason Anderson that he's not leaving the broadcast world just yet.
"Jones told The Sacramento Bee he will return next season as the primary television play-by-play voice of the Kings on NBC Sports California, a job he has held since 2020 while continuing to work an exhaustive schedule for ESPN," Anderson wrote Saturday.
Jones, a 36-year broadcast veteran, even told Anderson and the Bee that he's not done with the Kings.
“My plan is to be here for a long, long time,” Jones said prior to Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. “I love it here and I’ve been warmly received by the Kings."
Jones may not have been with the franchise long. But he did witness one high moment involving the franchise.
Jones witnessed the Kings end a long playoff drought during the 2022-23 season when Mike Brown coached the franchise.
ESPN, meanwhile, is waving goodbye to one of the longtime personalities the network had since the early 1990s. The network reflected on his impact through a statement sent to Awful Announcing.
"Mark has made an enduring impact at ESPN since 1990, serving as a signature voice primarily within our NBA and college football coverage and across nearly all of our platforms,” the network said to Awful Announcing. “We’re grateful for Mark’s countless contributions, and we wish him continued success.”
Jones came in to replace Grant Napear as their primary play-by-play announcer in November 2020. Ironically, he initially worked alongside Kings coach Doug Christie, who served as the team’s TV color analyst before joining the coaching staff.
Jones now partners with Kayte Christensen, the team’s current color commentator, during games aired on NBC Sports California.
Unfortunately Jones has seen the Kings deliver one of their worst campaigns in franchise history, including shattering the record for most consecutive losses at 16. But he called the Kings' last victory on Friday: The upset over the Golden State Warriors which saw the beam light up one last time.
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