A LEADER ON AND OFF THE COURT
“Leadership is about understanding your voice.”
What makes a good leader? According to professional basketball player, coach, and entrepreneur Eric Jones, it is simply being a human – a flawed human – willing to talk with people about the genuine intentions of why you do what you do. “First and foremost, leadership is about understanding your voice,” he says. “But it’s not just what you say, it’s how you live and what you do when no one is watching that matters. It’s about being a living example to others.”
As a coach, mentor, and entrepreneur, Eric sets a good example for many. One of five siblings, Eric credits his parents, Samuel and Marilyn Jones, as his best examples of good leaders. “My dad was a coach and community leader. He mentored many less fortunate kids and shared experiences with them – like going to basketball games – that they might not have been able to do otherwise. He was a living example of treating others how you’d want to be treated,” says Eric. “My mom was a teacher, artist, and entrepreneur; I learned from her to reason and think through things.”
An insecure kid who struggled with reading comprehension, Eric took classes and practiced until he felt more confident in his abilities, and was inspired by public figures like basketball Hall-of-Famer Julius Erving, and Muhammad Ali. Eric says, “Dr. J is the complete package; he represents innovation, class, creativity, talent, grace, dignity and daring to be different.” As for Ali, Eric has long-admired his confidence, gregarious personality, and unwillingness to conform, but most of all his fearlessness. “Being fearless means going for it – taking the leap – even when you’re uncertain. If your fear outweighs your conviction, you’ll always be in a Double-Dutch position*,” he says.
A native of the Bronx, New York, Eric has been around the game of basketball since the age of five. Through his love for the game, he learned the discipline, dedication, and focus it would take to be successful on and off the court. His professional career began in 1997 with the world-famous Harlem Wizards, followed by a two-year run with the Harlem Globetrotters where - as the only player at the time from New York City - he got the nickname “Broadway.” A born leader, Eric then re-joined the Wizards as a player-coach and director of player development. For 20+ years he has traveled the world, entertaining and impacting communities in 30 different countries and every state in the union.
Currently living in Manhattan with his wife, Layla “Fashion” Jones, Eric remains a player-coach and minority owner of the Wizards, as well as host of the BIG3 (pro-retired basketball league) youth initiative Young3, Executive Director of the NY Dragons AAU basketball league, President of the Sports Education Arts Foundation, and Founder of EJ5 fitness & basketball training.
Coaching young, aspiring athletes in the EJ5 training program, Eric teaches confidence first, then trains each student based on their skill level, aptitude, athletic ability, and talent. “We start them off with a solid fundamental base of good technique, then we build based on their strengths and weaknesses,” he says.
A self-described servant-leader, Eric’s attitude is reflected in all that he does. “A sign of good leadership is someone who has a great mental approach, and is disciplined and organized,” he says. This is what he strives for as a community leader, coach, and entrepreneur. “Some people say, ‘find something you’re good at and stick to it,’ but that’s the worst advice,” he says. “My goal is to be an authentic example so people feel a real connection to what I’m trying to do. I encourage people – kids especially – to aspire to do better than me, and to not put limitations on their goals.”
Eric’s next goal as a leader is to open a facility that services kids athletically, academically, and socially. Meanwhile, he’ll keep reminding people that every day is a new day, and encouraging them to refuse to limit themselves.
Learn more about Eric and his ventures at https://www.iamericjones.com/.
*Double-Dutch position: rocking back and forth, waiting for the perfect moment to jump in
“Eric and I met in 2008; I lived in Southern California and he was in Los Angeles with the Harlem Wizards. We have maintained a friendship ever since, and he was the first person who came to mind when thinking of Leaders Among Us. ”