Tennessee basketball: ESPN holds graduation for Jordan Bone
Former Tennessee basketball Volunteers guard Jordan Bone was surprised with a graduation ceremony. ESPN held it for the Detroit Pistons rookie.
Jordan Bone gave his mom a great Mother’s Day gift when he graduated last week. Well, now it was his turn to be surprised. The former Tennessee basketball guard had a graduation ceremony held for him by ESPN.
In an interview on SportsCenter, Bone told his mom that he had fulfilled the goal of graduation. At that point, however, a virtual celebration was held for him, as UT Chancellor Donde Plowman and basketball head coach Rick Barnes appeared on screen to congratulate him.
Barnes wore Bone’s Detroit Pistons jersey, and Plowman wore his Tennessee basketball jersey under their caps and gowns. Both Bone and his mom were both shocked by the gesture this time. SEC Network tweeted out the whole event.
.@JordanBone23 made a promise to his mom that he would graduate from Tennessee.
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) May 15, 2020
Today, that promise was fulfilled on @SportsCenter 🧡 pic.twitter.com/jJVuWoFaK1
Related Story. Rick Barnes 10th Vols coach to last five years. light
More from Vols Basketball
- Tennessee Volunteers News: Midweek Recap, Food City Center, Students Back & More
- Tennessee Basketball: Which teams have the Volunteers never beaten?
- Former Tennessee Vols’ Star Grant Williams Dominated Game 4 of ECF
- 10 best Tennessee basketball NBA careers ever
- Tennessee Basketball: Phillips in Transfer Portal, New Transfers Join Vols
As you can see, Bone was sent his cap and gown overnight by ESPN. His brother, Josh Bone, who played for the Vols under Bruce Pearl, delivered it to him. Their mother, Karen Bone, became emotional during the ceremony.
It was a great story when Bone graduated last week. He left the Vols after his junior year to go to the NBA, and given his athleticism, his height at 6’3″ 180 pounds and his ability to shoot from the outside, it was the right decision. Bone’s long-term potential in the pros is through the roof. However, he deserves a lot of respect for going back to school to obtain his degree.
Throughout his career, Barnes has proven himself to support former players as they graduated. Even after being fired by the Texas Longhorns, he returned to watch his former player T.J. Ford graduate back in 2017.
Vols' top 10 modern-era teams with under 20 wins. dark. Next
Bone was the 57th pick by Detroit in the 2019 NBA Draft. He appeared in 10 games and averaged nearly five and a half minutes during those games. However, he spent most of his time playing for the G-League team, the Grand Rapids Drive, led by former Tennessee basketball head coach Donnie Tyndall. In 31 games with them, he averaged 17.5 points and nearly seven assists.