Eddie Charles Jones (born October 20, 1971) is an American retired professional basketball player who played for several teams in his 14-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career. Jones played college basketball at Temple University and was the 1993–94 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. The three-time NBA All-Star was selected 10th overall in the 1994 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers raised some eyebrows when they selected Jones with the 10th overall selection. Many felt that the Lakers really needed a front line player to help out James Worthy (who retired at the beginning of the 1994–1995 season), Elden Campbell, Vlade Divac, and George Lynch, although very few left available were worthy of being a selection this high; and with Nick Van Exel, Sedale Threatt, Anthony Peeler, Duane Cooper, Tony Smith, Doug Christie, et al already in the fold, drafting Jones would only further complicate the already "log jammed" backcourt and wing positions. But then-Lakers general manager Jerry West wasn't swayed by the critics and drafted Jones anyway. "We wanted the best pure athlete available, and Eddie was too good to pass up", West said.

In his rookie season Jones averaged 14.0 points per game and 2.05 steals per game as he played in 64 games, 58 of which he started. He also led the NBA in steal/turnover ratio (1.75), placed 4th in the NBA Rookie of the Year ballot, and was on the 1994–95 NBA All-Rookie First Team. In the 94–95 All-Star weekend Rookie Challenge he won the MVP, posting a game-high 25 points, 6 steals, and 4 rebounds. With his combination of size, athleticism, and defense, Jones began to draw favorable comparisons to another former Lakers great, Michael Cooper. (Cooper himself said that looking at Jones on the court was like "looking in a mirror.") Jones would become an integral part of the Lakers squad, along with Nick Van Exel and Cedric Ceballos as the Lakers made the playoffs and upset the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round 3 games to 1 before facing the top seeded San Antonio Spurs led by league MVP David Robinson. The younger Lakers managed to push the Spurs to six games before losing the series, with Jones averaging 8.7 points off the bench in his first playoff run.

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