American center Damian Jones has signed a contract with Real Madrid until the end of the season, arriving from Puerto Rican club Vaqueros de Bayamon.
The Spanish club announced the agreement in an official statement, confirming that the two-time NBA champion will reinforce the frontcourt for head coach Pedro Martinez.
Jones joins the European powerhouse following a successful campaign in Puerto Rico, where he led Vaqueros de Bayamon to the local league championship. During his final season with the team, the big man averaged 14 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
NBA championship background and career history
The 293-game NBA veteran won back-to-back championship titles with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 during his first spell with the California franchise. He played for Golden State across two separate stints, first from 2016 to 2017 and again during the 2018-2019 season.
Following his time with the Warriors, Jones built extensive experience across seven different NBA franchises over eight seasons. He joined the Atlanta Hawks for the 2019-2020 campaign before splitting the 2020-2021 season between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jones subsequently played for the Sacramento Kings during the 2021-2022 season. He returned to the Lakers for a second spell in 2022-2023 before moving to the Utah Jazz later that same year, and most recently featured for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2023-2024 campaign.
Real Madrid frontcourt setup and player style
The arrival of Jones completes the interior rotation for Martinez, who already has Cape Verdean center Walter Tavares and newly signed French big man Olivier Sarr in his squad. Real Madrid, based in the Spanish capital, competes in both Spain's top-tier Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, Europe's elite continental competition.
In his first message to supporters published in a video on the club's official social media channels, Jones expressed his gratitude to Madrid fans for welcoming him. He said he was looking forward to a great season ahead and ended his statement with the traditional club cheer, Hala Madrid.
Describing his on-court capabilities, Jones said he is an athletic player who can defend point guards and cover multiple positions across the floor. He explained that he creates open space and drives toward the basket, while offering a constant threat in pick-and-roll plays and finishing alley-oop passes.
Spanish national team result
In additional basketball reporting published by Spanish daily newspaper La Razon, Spain's national team suffered a defeat against Portugal. The international fixture marked the debut of young Spanish prospects Aday Mara and Baba Miller.
