NBA, college football announcer Mark Jones is leaving ESPN after 36 years: ‘Time to move on’

Mark Jones has been an on-air staple on ESPN since the first Bush administration — as in George H.W. Bush, who served from 1989 to 1992.

So, yeah, it’s been a long time.

And now, Jones says, “it’s time to move on.”

Jones’ 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 NBA’s regular season. It could very well be the last time the phrase “hotter than fish grease” is uttered on the network.

“It’s been a memorable journey these decades with the ABC/ESPN family, but I have decided that it’s time to move on,” Jones wrote in a statement posted Friday on Instagram. “From 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.”

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, men’s and women’s 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 “NBA Today” studio show and been an anchor and reporter on “SportsCenter.”

“Mark 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,” ESPN said in a statement. “We’re grateful for Mark’s countless contributions and we wish him continued success.”

Separate from his work at ESPN, Jones has also been the primary TV play-by-play announcer for the Sacramento Kings since 2020.

Jones hasn’t indicated what he’ll be doing next, but he ended his announcement with a big prediction for the future — and threw in his signature phrase for good measure.

“As I move on to my next chapter I believe my best work is yet to come,” he wrote. “I’ll be out there cookin’ hotter than fish grease!”