Ron Boone

Ronald Bruce Boone (born September 6, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player. He had a 13-year career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Boone set a record for most consecutive games played in professional basketball history with 1,041 and claims to have never missed a game from when he started playing basketball in the fourth grade until his retirement. Boone is the current color commentator on Utah Jazz broadcasts.

High school career Boone grew up in the Logan Fontenelle housing project and attended Technical High School in North Omaha, Nebraska. In high school, Boone played basketball for Coach Neal Mosser, who had led Tech to the 1963 State title and had coached Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Boozer and Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson before Boone. Boone stood only 5'7" when he graduated from high school and didn't become a starter in basketball until his senior season. Boone played baseball under Coach Josh Gibson, older brother of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, who also was an Omaha native and Technical High School alumnus.

Small in stature at the time, Boone reflected on his basketball aspirations after high school. “I remember playing in a league down at the local YMCA and just having a good time — scoring points — and this friend of mine asked one of the officials if he thought I could play major college basketball and the guy said, ‘No way,’ Boone recalled. “That was always in the back of my mind because I thought I could. If there was anything in my life that I can say inspired me, it was those comments.”

As a senior in 1967–1968, Boone averaged 21.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists as Idaho State finished the season with a record of 10–12, playing under new Coach Danny Miller.

In his three seasons with Idaho State University, Boone averaged 20.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 61 games, never missing a game. Boone was named to the First–team All-Big Sky teams in both 1967 and 1968.

ABA/NBA career After graduating from Idaho State University, Boone was selected by both the American Basketball Association's Dallas Chaparrals in the 1968 ABA draft and by the Phoenix Suns in the 1968 NBA draft. Boone opted to play for Dallas in the ABA. Boone made the ABA All-Rookie First Team.

Boone averaged 17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 201 games with the Dallas Chaparrals.

Utah Stars 1971–1975 Boone was traded to the Utah Stars from Dallas in mid-season of the 1970–71 ABA season, while averaging 20.0 points in 42 games with Dallas.

Boone, alongside Zelmo Beaty, Willie Wise and Glen Combs, helped lead the Utah Stars to the 1971 ABA championship under Coach Bill Sharman. Utah finished the 1970–1971 regular season 57–27, with Boone averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists after coming over in the trade from Dallas. Boone averaged 17.6 points in the ABA Finals 4 games to 3 victory over the Kentucky Colonels, with Dan Issel and Louis Dampier. The Stars had defeated the Indiana Pacers 4 games to 3 and his former team, the Dallas Chaparrals 4 games to 0 to reach the ABA Finals. Boone averaged 21.0 points in the Dallas series and 14.9 in the Indiana series.

Over the course of six seasons with the Utah Stars, Boone averaged 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 396 games.

Boone was a four-time ABA All-Star (1971, 1974–1976).

Kansas City Kings 1977–1978 After the ABA–NBA merger in June 1976 Boone played in the NBA for the Kansas City Kings. On August 5, 1976, he was drafted by the Kings from the Spirits of St. Louis in the dispersal draft.

Boone averaged 17.7 points for the Kings in 1977–1978, along with 3.3 rebounds 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals.

Los Angeles Lakers 1978–1979 On June 26, 1978, Boone was traded twice. First, he was traded by the Kansas City Kings with a 1979 2nd round draft pick (Mark Young was later selected) to the Denver Nuggets for Mike Evans and Darnell Hillman. Then, on the same day, June 26, 1978, he was traded by the Denver Nuggets with a 1979 2nd round draft pick (Ollie Mack was later selected) and a 1979 2nd round draft pick (Mark Young was later selected) to the Los Angeles Lakers for Charlie Scott.

In his final season, in a reserve role, Boone averaged 7.8 points in 52 games. On January 26, 1981, Boone was waived by the Utah Jazz. Boone immediately had offers to play for other teams, but chose to retire following his release, saying "it was the right time to retire." Boone is likely the only player in major professional sports history to have never missed a single game played in his career. In 13 total seasons, Boone played in 1,041 out of 1,041 possible games throughout both the ABA & NBA.

In Terry Pluto's book on the history of the ABA, Loose Balls, interviewees noted that Boone's nickname was "The Legend", because he always showed up each season in shape and always was remarkably consistent. At the time of his retirement, Boone had the distinction of having played the most consecutive games of any player in the history of professional basketball – 1,041 in a row between the ABA and NBA. This record has since been broken by A.C. Green. However, Boone played at least 20 minutes in each game.

Basketball announcing career 1988–present For the past 34 years, Boone has been a broadcaster for the Utah Jazz contests. Boone starting calling games for the Jazz in September, 1988. The Utah Jazz' partnered "Hot Rod" Hundley and Boone as announcers for many years. To many Jazz fans the duo was synonymous with Jazz basketball.

Personal Boone has a son, JaRon; a daughter, Jozette; and three grandchildren. His wife Jackie died of cancer, at age 62, in 2008.

JaRon Boone played college basketball at the University of Nebraska from 1992 to 1996, averaging 12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 127 career games.

Boone is an avid golfer saying, "The game of golf is an individual sport that just drives you to try to beat it. You’re constantly trying to beat this golf course, knowing damn well how tough it is. Then the margin of error in the game itself is so small, it just makes it so competitive and so hard to beat it. It’s an addiction. So many friends of mine take up this game and they can’t believe what it does. What you become after taking it up."

Boone hosts the annual "Ron Boone Golf Classic" which benefits the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Career statistics

†Denotes seasons in which Boone's team won an ABA championship‡ ABA record

ABA/NBA Source Boone was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1997, Boone was selected to the American Basketball Association All-Time Team. Boone was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.