Caldwell Jones dies at 64; helped 76ers reach NBA Finals three times

Caldwell Jones, 64, a rail-thin center/power forward who helped the Philadelphia 76ers reach the NBA Finals three times, died Sunday of a heart attack in Decatur, Ga. The 76ers announced his death.

One of four brothers to play professional basketball, Jones began his career with the San Diego Conquistadors of the ABA in 1973 before signing as a free agent with the 76ers in 1976.

The 6-foot-11, 217-pound Jones was an unspectacular but steady performer. Playing alongside stars such as Julius Erving, George McGinnis, Doug Collins, Darryl Dawkins, Lloyd Free and Doug Collins, Jones was a member of three 76er teams that reached the NBA Finals but lost — to the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and twice to the Lakers, in 1980 and ’82.

Jones averaged 6.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in a 14-year NBA career. He also played for Houston, Chicago, Portland and San Antonio.

After six seasons in Philadelphia, Jones and a 1983 first-round pick (which turned out to be Rodney McCray) were traded to Houston for center Moses Malone. Malone led the 76ers to the NBA championship in 1983.

Jones retired in 1990.

Born Aug. 4, 1950, in McGehee, Ark., Jones played college basketball at what is now Albany State University in Georgia.

In an interview with the Portland Oregonian last year, he reminisced about growing up on a farm with his brothers Charles, Will and Major.

“That farm was the way we survived,” Jones said. “A lot of times you don’t know when you’re poor. You don’t go to bed hungry, so you don’t know it. We ate three times a day, my mother fed us. It wasn’t until much later that we realized we were poor.”

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