In the world of social media, any moment on and off the court has the potential to go viral. Kai Jones was one such person who went viral last season but for all the wrong reasons. After his social media shenanigans, the 23-year-old became the talk of the town, which eventually led to a severe drawback in his career.
Kai Jones has another shot at redemption but he had some things to get off his chest, which somewhat explains his outlandish antics.
Kai Jones opens up his ‘family deaths’ struggle this past summer
Kai Jones, the current G-league player, talked about losing close ones while chatting with The Athletic’s Shams Charania after signing a short-term contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Speaking with Shams, the 23-year-old revealed that he had a tough time dealing with the deaths in the family. “I lost two of my great grandparents in one summer. It was an emotional summer for me. Dealing with that along with the NBA lifestyle could be a lot”. Sharing his thoughts, he added, “To be honest with you Shams, I didn’t want to die.”
Kai Jones played two seasons for the Charlotte Hornets from 2021 to 2023, where he was averaging 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 46 games last year. However, he was waived after he publicly demanded to be traded to some other franchise. Since no other team claimed his waiver, he eventually became a free agent. While he was in the Hornets, he behaved strangely on social media, attracting the NBA community’s eyes by stating that he is God and that he could beat LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal.
According to the NBA Insider, Kai Jones is getting therapy and preparing himself for the upcoming project with the Sixers. Jones is currently appearing for the Delaware Blue Coats, the affiliates of the Sixers however, he has signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia franchise.
How can Kai Jones 10-day contract help 76ers?
The Philadelphia 76ers are bringing Kai Jones back into the NBA for a brief time and have a thought-out plan for utilizing the 6’11”er’s potential.
With their big man Joel Embiid missing due to injury, the Sixers are trying to fill the depth in the squad by adding Jones. Head coach Nick Nurse, while discussing the move, said that they will bring Kai Jones into the team for ten days and after re-evaluation, further decisions will be taken.
Nurse saw a glimpse of his potential in his debut game with the Blue Coats on Friday, where he scored 14 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, along with adding 5 steals to his name. Acknowledging the good work Jones did on the floor, the HC said, “He’s got some size, he’s got some athleticism. I don’t know how many dunks he had last night—probably five or six — and a couple of them were pretty important tip-back dunks.” Sharing his analysis, Nurse added, “He seemed to play his role really well. He doesn’t seem to try to do too much. He rebounds, he runs, he really screens. He moves it to the next action over and over again. So for his first game, that wasn’t too bad.”
Despite hitting the rough end of the road, Kai Jones is getting a golden opportunity to make a comeback in the NBA. It will be interesting to see how Kai Jones utilizes this opportunity.
