Bomani Jones
{{short description|American sports journalist (born 1980)}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox presenter
|image =
| name = Bomani Jones
| birth_name = Bomani Babatunde Jones
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1980|08|26}}
| birth_place = Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| show = Highly Questionable; The Evening Jones, Around the Horn, The Right Time with Bomani Jones, High Noon, Game Theory with Bomani Jones
| show2 =
| station2 =
| timeslot2 =
| alma_mater = Clark Atlanta University (BA)
Claremont Graduate University (MA)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (MA)
| style = Sports radio
| country = United States
| spouse =
| children =
| prevshow =
| website = http://www.bomanijones.com/
}}
Bomani Babatunde Jones{{cite news|last1=Cain|first1=Brooke|title=Local sports talk personality makes the move to ESPN|url=http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/tv/article10347602.html|access-date=July 29, 2013|work=The News & Observer|date=May 25, 2013}} (born August 26, 1980) is an American sports journalist who was formerly employed by ESPN. He was the co-host of Highly Questionable with Dan Le Batard, before leaving the show in June 2017 to develop his own show, High Noon.{{Cite web |last=Curtis |first=Charles |date=2017-06-23 |title=ESPN's 'Highly Questionable' gives co-host Bomani Jones an emotional, sweet send-off |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/06/espn-bomani-jones-dan-le-batard-highly-questionable-papi-leaving-new-show-video |access-date=2021-04-15 |website=For The Win|publisher=USA Today |language=en-US}} He is also a regular panelist on Around the Horn. Jones also hosts the podcast The Right Time with Bomani Jones for ESPN and his own podcast The Evening Jones.{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Bomani|title=The Evening Jones|url=http://www.theeveningjones.com|website=www.theeveningjones.com|publisher=Old Soul Productions}} He has also written for SB Nation, Salon and Page 2 at ESPN.com.{{cite web|title=Bomani Jones About|url=http://www.bomanijones.com/about/}} His sister is award-winning novelist Tayari Jones.{{cite news|title=Do you know this… Bomani?|url=http://theatlantavoice.com/news/2013/jun/21/do-you-know-bomani/|access-date=March 22, 2016|work=The Atlanta Voice|date=June 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319224746/http://theatlantavoice.com/news/2013/jun/21/do-you-know-bomani/|archive-date=March 19, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|title=Houston, Part III|date=March 16, 2005 |url=http://www.bomanijones.com/houston-part-iii/}}
Early life and education
Jones, who is of African American heritage, was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Later he moved to Houston, Texas, attending school in the town of Waller in the Greater Houston area.http://www.bomanijones.com/about-media-personality-bomani-jones/
Career
Before becoming a sportswriter, beginning in 2004 Jones worked as a music and pop culture critic, including writing for AOL and ESPN.com.{{cite web|title=Ask Bomani Jones!|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDz2IIVC7iM|website=youtube.com|publisher=Around the Horn, ESPN|access-date=July 27, 2015|date=July 24, 2013}} From January 2008 to October 2009, he hosted two radio shows in Raleigh: The Three Hour Lunch Break on 620 the Bull and Sports Saturday with Bomani Jones on 850 the Buzz.{{cite news|last1=Bynum|first1=R.L.|title=Bomani Jones credits producer Penn in his rise to national radio|url=http://raleighco.com/media-circus/bomani-jones-credits-producer-penn-in-his-rise-to-national-radio/|access-date=March 22, 2016|work=Raleigh & Company|date=September 24, 2015}}{{cite news|author1=Press Release|title=Sports Radio 620 The Bull and 850 The Buzz Host Bomani Jones Featured in HBO's New Documentary "Battle For Tobacco Road: Duke vs. Carolina"|url=http://www.pr.com/press-release/133478|access-date=March 22, 2016|work=PR.com|date=February 20, 2009|location=Raleigh, North Carolina}} The shows ended after the radio stations were sold. In January 2010, Jones launched his radio show, The Morning Jones, which was hosted from Durham, North Carolina.{{cite web|last1=Penrice|first1=Ronda Racha|title=Bomani Jones, Sports Radio Rising Star|url=http://atlantapost.com/2010/06/21/bomani-jones-sports-radio-rising-star/|website=atlantapost.com|publisher=The Atlanta Post|access-date=July 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624101003/http://atlantapost.com/2010/06/21/bomani-jones-sports-radio-rising-star/|archive-date=June 24, 2010|date=June 21, 2010|url-status=dead}} Also in 2010, Jones began appearing as a contributor on ESPN's Outside the Lines and a panelist on Around the Horn. The Morning Jones ended on August 30, 2011.{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Bomani|title=Tuesday will be the final episode of The Morning Jones|date=August 29, 2011 |url=http://www.bomanijones.com/tuesday-final-episode-morning-jones/}} Jones later hosted his own internet shows, The Evening Jones and Bomani & Jones on SB Nation's YouTube channel until January 2013.
Beginning in 2012, Jones appeared regularly on Dan Le Batard's ESPN2 show Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable, where he discussed major sports stories with Le Batard. Around the same time, he began guest hosting The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz radio show on The Ticket Miami on Wednesdays. On May 9, 2013, it was reported that Jones had signed a new four-year contract with ESPN.{{cite web|url=https://www.sbnation.com/2013/5/9/4162858/bomani-jones-espn |title=Bomani Jones signs new deal with ESPN |publisher=SBNation.com |date= May 9, 2013|access-date=July 29, 2013}} In May 2013, Jones became co-host of the renamed Highly Questionable, which moved to ESPN in March 2015.{{cite web|last1=Hall|first1=Andy|title=Bomani Jones and the Le Batards put everything on the kitchen table as Highly Questionable returns today|url=http://www.espnfrontrow.com/2014/01/bomani-jones-and-the-le-batards-put-everything-on-the-kitchen-table-as-highly-questionable-returns-today/|website=espnfrontrow.com|access-date=July 27, 2015|date=January 24, 2014}} Jones remained on Highly Questionable until June 2017, when he left to prepare for a new project with fellow ESPN talent Pablo S. Torre.{{cite news|title=Bomani Jones says goodbye to Highly Questionable|url=http://www.espnfrontrow.com/2017/06/bomani-jones-says-goodbye-highly-questionable/|access-date=29 June 2017|work=espnfrontrow.com|date=June 22, 2017}}
In January 2014, Jones won three consecutive Around the Horn episodes in which he appeared.{{cite web|title=Behind the Horn - 1-20-14 - Bomani Three in a Row?|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wfywS5S9Ps|website=youtube.com|publisher=Around the Horn, ESPN|access-date=July 27, 2015|date=January 20, 2014}} As of October 30, 2014, he has 104 wins in 373 appearances on Around the Horn. On March 30, 2015, The Right Time With Bomani Jones debuted on ESPN Radio.{{cite web|last1=Chozet|first1=Tara|title=Bomani Jones Joins ESPN Radio Hosts Jorge Sedano and Freddie Coleman to Create Enhanced Weekday Evening Lineup: The Right Time with Bomani Jones Debuts at 9 p.m.|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2015/03/bomani-jones-joins-espn-radio-hosts-jorge-sedano-freddie-coleman-create-enhanced-weekday-evening-lineup/|website=espnmediazone.com|publisher=ESPN MediaZone|access-date=July 27, 2015|date=March 25, 2015}} On September 21, 2015, The Right Time was moved to the 4 to 7 PM time slot. In December 2017, "The Right Time" ceased airing daily on ESPN radio. It reappeared as an ESPN Podcast in April 2018. On June 4, 2018, Jones and Torre co-led the series debut of High Noon on ESPN.{{Cite news|url=http://awfulannouncing.com/espn/high-noon-felt-both-fresh-and-familiar-in-debut.html|title=ESPN's 'High Noon' felt simultaneously fresh and familiar in its debut hour|date=2018-06-04|work=Awful Announcing|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en-US}} On March 13, 2022, Jones began a new show, Game Theory with Bomani Jones, on HBO.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/11/bomani-jones-game-theory-hbo-sports-pundit|title = Bomani Jones: The cerebral sports pundit leaves things late on HBO|website = TheGuardian.com|date = March 11, 2022}} Jones has served as an adjunct professor at Duke University and Elon University.
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{official}}
- [http://radio.thescore.com:80/programs/the-morning-jones The Morning Jones on Sirius]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
- [http://www.theeveningjones.com/ The Evening Jones]
- {{IMDb name|3524998}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Bomani}}
Category:21st-century African-American people
Category:African-American television personalities
Category:American sports radio personalities
Category:Claremont Graduate University alumni
Category:Clark Atlanta University alumni
Category:Journalists from Houston