By Murray State Athletic Department
Popeye Jones, assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets, became the first Murray State men’s basketball alumni to win an NBA championship as a coach. Jones was on the bench Monday night when the Nuggets vanquished the Miami Heat 94-89 at Denver’s Ball Arena to win the series 4-1. Jones is from Dresden.
When Jones finished his Murray State career in 1992, he embarked on a 11-year NBA career that began with the Dallas Mavericks and ended with the Golden State Warriors. He landed his first NBA coaching job in 2010 with the Brooklyn Nets and has just finished his second season in Denver as an NBA title winner with head coach Michael Malone. Along the way, the Nuggets went 16-4 all the way to the title.
Jones was the first Racer to make the NBA Finals since 2021 when Cameron Payne played with the Phoenix Suns, but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Jones is the first former Racer to win the title as a coach, but follows two Racers who won NBA titles as players. Joe Fulks in 1947 and Dick Cunningham in 1971.
Fulks played when the league was called the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in the 1940’s. He was on a championship team in 1947 with the Philadelphia Warriors with a 4-1 series win over the Chicago Stags. Fulks played at Murray State from 1941-42, served in the Marine Corps in WW-II and then restarted his basketball career in 1946. Fulks played in 489 career games, all with Philadelphia and was named to the NBA’s Silver Anniversary Team in 1971.
Dick Cunningham, who was part of the Milwaukee Bucks NBA Championship in 1971, led the nation in rebounding for the Racers with 21.8 per game in 1967.
Cunningham, Fulks, Jones and Payne are all members of the Murray State Hall of Fame. All but Cunningham have their numbers retired.
Jones led the Racers to the NCAA Tournament his senior season in 1991-92 and is still Murray State’s all-time leading rebounder and fourth leading scorer. Jones led the nation in rebounding with 14.4 per game during his senior season.
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MSU photo.