Former NBA player and U.S. Olympian Dwight Jones died Monday, according to the University of Houston. He was 64.
Jones, a Houston native, played with four NBA teams spanning a 10-year career.
A 6-foot-10 power forward/center, Jones was the ninth overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1973 NBA draft. He averaged 8.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jones played college ball for the University of Houston from 1971-73, scoring 951 points in 54 career games.
He was also a member of the U.S. team that lost the controversial gold-medal game to the former Soviet Union during the 1972 Summer Olympics. Jones led Team USA in rebounding and was its co-leading scorer.
"Dwight was a tremendous competitor, who represented the University of Houston and his nation well during his playing career," Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said in a statement. "While his health declined in recent years, he faced those challenges with the same courage and spirit that made him one of our program's greats. Tonight, our hearts go out to Dwight's family and friends and all those who knew and loved him."
