Renato William Jones

For other people named William Jones, see William Jones (disambiguation).

Renato William Jones (October 5, 1906 in Rome, Italy – April 22, 1981 in Munich, Germany), also known as R. William, or simply William Jones, was a popularizer of basketball in Europe and in Asia. He holds an honorary doctorate from Springfield College.

He was one of the founding fathers of the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur (FIBA) in 1932 and served as the first Secretary-General from 1932 until 1976. From 1932 he was eager to convince the IOC that an Olympic tournament should be organized in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. After the International Handball Federation (IAHF) renounced on its responsibility for basketball in 1934, FIBA was accepted as autonomous body by IOC and the Berlin tourney could be held under Jones' supervision. Later, he was made secretary general of the International Council of Sport and Physical Education in 1958.

He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1964, FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007 and also as patron of the Amateur Basketball Association of England in 1973.

He is perhaps most widely known for his decision at the 1972 Olympic Basketball Final, where the United States was facing the Soviet Union and had won the game 50-49, to order the officials to put 3 seconds back on the clock for a clock malfunction, allowing the Soviet team to score and win 51-50. Jones had no authority to make a ruling during a game, but his power in the sport was such that the officials complied with the order. He was controversially quoted later as saying "The Americans have to learn how to lose, even when they think they are right."

Tournaments

The World Cup for Champion Clubs Intercontinental cup William Jones and the annual international basketball tournament, the William Jones Cup, held in Taipei, Taiwan, was named after him, in honor to his contribution to the world of basketball.