Bobby Jones, a retired NBA star who played with the Philadelphia 76ers, has served as an FCA banquet speaker around the Carolinas region, as well as a counselor and connector for FCA area staff. His wife, Tess, has also been instrumental in leading FCA’s Women’s Roundtable in an effort to effectively reach high school girls with the FCA ministry.

Over the past 20 years, Jones has been a popular guest speaker at many FCA basketball camps and coaches clinics, as well as a humble servant at events. As a coach, Jones always offers a Bible study to his team and consistently aims to be a servant leader. He often shares stories of how he has seen God at work in his own life and in the lives of others.

While Jones stays in touch with the NBA by mentoring Christian players in the league, his preference over the years has been to coach middle school and high school basketball teams. This grass roots impact has allowed Jones to influence young players on a personal level.

On Nov. 7, 1986, Jones’ No. 24 was retired at the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia. Earning eight consecutive spots on the All-Defensive Team, Jones was one of the best defenders to ever play the game, always hustling on defense. He joined a team of NBA All-Stars including Julius Erving, Darryl Dawkins and Caldwell Jones in 1978. Erving has said of his teammate, “He’s a player who’s totally selfless, who runs like a deer, jumps like a gazelle, plays with his head and heart each night, then walks away from the court as if nothing happened.”