Play-by-play announcer Mark Jones is leaving ESPN after 36 years.
Mark Jones has been an on-air staple on ESPN since the first Bush administration β as in George H.W. Bush, who served from 1989 to 1992.
So, yeah, itβs been a long time.
And now, Jones says, βitβs time to move on.β
Jonesβ final ESPN broadcast will be Sunday, when he will serve as the play-by-play announcer for the Orlando Magic at Boston Celtics game on the final day of the NBAβs regular season. It could very well be the last time the phrase βhotter than fish greaseβ is uttered on the network.
βItβs been a memorable journey these decades with the ABC/ESPN family, but I have decided that itβs time to move on,β Jones wrote in a statement posted Friday on Instagram. βFrom the day Dennis Swanson hired me in 1990 and working with the best producer in the business, Kim Belton, until today I will forever be grateful for the many friends and colleagues along the way.β
Jones, 64, started at ESPN in 1990. As a play-by-play announcer, he is best known for calling NBA games but he has also covered college football, menβs and womenβs college basketball, the WNBA and UFL. On June 2, 2022, Jones, Mark Jackson and Lisa Salters were the first all-Black crew to call an NBA Finals game on TV.
In addition, Jones has hosted the βNBA Todayβ studio show and been an anchor and reporter on βSportsCenter.β
βMark 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,β ESPN said in a statement. βWeβre grateful for Markβs countless contributions and we wish him continued success.β
Separate from his work at ESPN, Jones has also been the primary TV play-by-play announcer for the Sacramento Kings since 2020.
Jones hasnβt indicated what heβll be doing next, but he ended his announcement with a big prediction for the future β and threw in his signature phrase for good measure.
βAs I move on to my next chapter I believe my best work is yet to come,β he wrote. βIβll be out there cookinβ hotter than fish grease!β