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Kevin Love praises "best teammate" James Jones

By Alex Butler
Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford (15) shoots a basket over Cleveland Cavaliers' James Jones (1) and Iman Shumpert (L). Photo by David Tulis/UPI
Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford (15) shoots a basket over Cleveland Cavaliers' James Jones (1) and Iman Shumpert (L). Photo by David Tulis/UPI | License Photo

CLEVELAND, June 28 (UPI) -- When LeBron James left Miami two summers ago, he wasn't the only player coming to Cleveland with a championship pedigree.

He brought Heat teammate James Jones along with him. Jones, who has also been to six straight NBA Finals, quickly became the best Cavaliers teammate for Kevin Love.

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"Those of you who know Champ will appreciate this...I'd like to tribute the best teammate I've ever had, James Jones aka Champ," Love wrote in an Instagram post Sunday. "You taught me more than you know the past 2 years—what it takes to win, how to be a better teammate, how to balance the good/bad off the court, and most importantly...putting team first. Sacrifice for the better of the team, and in order to lead sometimes you have to learn to follow. You've been to 6 straight Finals. You've been the constant presence we needed in the locker room. You're the ultimate work horse. The lessons you taught me will stay with me for the rest of my career and life after basketball."

Jones scored just six points in 4.6 minutes per game in 12 contests. Jones uprooted from Miami for Cleveland, despite being born in the city in 1980 and attending high school and college there, before being drafted by the Indiana Pacers. He followed that NBA stint with stops in Phoenix and Portland before landing again in Miami from 2008 to 2013. Jones has averaged 4.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game in 105 games for the Cavaliers.

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Those of you who know Champ will appreciate this... I’d like to tribute the best teammate I've ever had, James Jones aka Champ. You taught me more than you know the past 2 years— what it takes to win, how to be a better teammate, how to balance the good/bad off the court, and most importantly...putting team first. Sacrifice for the better of the team, and in order to lead sometimes you have to learn to follow. You’ve been to 6 straight Finals. You’ve been the constant presence we needed in the locker room. You’re the ultimate work horse. The lessons you taught me will stay with me for the rest of my career and life after basketball. No one can avoid the ups and downs of the Playoffs, and when many wrote me off after a tough stretch in the Finals… you and the team stuck by me allowing me to flourish and make plays when it mattered most. Like you told me not too long ago, “don’t be afraid to be yourself.” And now I’ll never be— thanks for everything. Keep being you Champ. 🏆🏆🏆-🏆

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A photo posted by @kevinlove on

"No one can avoid the ups and downs of the Playoffs, and when many wrote me off after a tough stretch in the Finals... you and the team stuck by me allowing me to flourish and make plays when it mattered most. Like you told me not too long ago, "don't be afraid to be yourself." And now I'll never be— thanks for everything. Keep being you Champ," Love said in the post.

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