Kai Jones

Kai Jones
Jones with Texas in 2020
No. 23 – Los Angeles Clippers
PositionCenter / power forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-01-19) January 19, 2001 (age 23)
Nassau, Bahamas
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeTexas (2019–2021)
NBA draft2021: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2023Charlotte Hornets
2021–2023→Greensboro Swarm
2024Delaware Blue Coats
2024–presentLos Angeles Clippers
2024–present→San Diego Clippers
Career highlights and awards
  • Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year (2021)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Kai Martinez Jones (born January 19, 2001) is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the San Diego Clippers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns.

Early life

Born in Nassau, Bahamas, Jones moved to the United States when he was 11 years old. Before high school, he returned to his home country hoping to pursue a career as a long jumper. At age 15, Jones played organized basketball for his first time, being drawn to the sport after having a growth spurt.[1]

High school career

In the summer of 2017, Jones took part in a Basketball Without Borders Americas camp held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Nassau.[2][3] That year, he worked out with and took advice from top high school recruit Deandre Ayton in their hometown of Nassau. As a result, Jones was inspired to play basketball in the United States.[4] For the 2017–18 season, he enrolled at Orlando Christian Prep in Orlando, Florida, as a high school senior. He was teammates with five-star recruits Nassir Little and C. J. Walker and helped win the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 3A state championship.[5][6] In high school, Jones woke up at 4:45 a.m. every day to train and played basketball after school.[7] At the same time, he saw academic success, graduating with a 4.2 grade point average and summa cum laude honors.[1]

In the summer of 2018, Jones attended the NBA Global Camp in Treviso, Italy.[3] Following his senior year, he played a postgraduate season at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.[8] On February 4, 2019, Jones was named to the National Prep Invitational all-tournament team.[9] In March, he helped Brewster Academy win the USA National Prep Championship.[10]

Recruiting

On October 15, 2018, Jones committed to play college basketball for Texas. He chose to join the Longhorns over offers from several other NCAA Division I programs, including Arizona, Kansas, and Oregon.[11]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kai Jones
C 		Nassau, Bahamas Brewster Academy (NH) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Oct 15, 2018 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 59  247Sports: 49  ESPN: 53
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Texas 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  • "2019 Texas Longhorns Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.

College career

Coach Shaka Smart said that Jones had the best work ethic of any big man he coached. Despite this, Jones struggled to get playing time early in his freshman season. He gradually saw more playing time as the season progressed, finishing with eight points on 4–5 shooting from the field in just 10 minutes of the Longhorns' 73–71 win over McNeese State on November 30.[12] As a freshman, Jones averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.[13] On January 26, 2021, he registered his first double-double, with 15 points and 10 rebounds in an 80–79 loss to Oklahoma.[14] Jones was named Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and to the All-Big 12 honorable mention.[15] As a sophomore, he averaged 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. On March 24, 2021, Jones declared for the 2021 NBA draft.[16]

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2021–2023)

Jones was selected with the 19th pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the New York Knicks and immediately traded to the Charlotte Hornets.[17] On August 3, he officially signed with the Hornets.[18]

On September 30, 2023, the Hornets announced that Jones would not participate in training camp and offered no timetable for his return to the team.[19] The decision came after Jones displayed bizarre behavior on social media which included criticism of his teammates, incoherent speech, and declarations of being the greatest basketball player of all time.[20]

On October 9, 2023, Jones publicly requested a trade on X[21] and two days later, he was waived by the Hornets.[22] No team claimed his waiver, making him a free agent. He averaged 2.7 points in 9.1 minutes per game during his two seasons with the Hornets.[22]

Delaware Blue Coats (2024)

On March 15, 2024, Jones signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.[23] However, he only played for the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia's G League affiliate.[24]

Los Angeles Clippers (2024–present)

On April 14, 2024, Jones signed for the rest of the season with the Los Angeles Clippers.[25] On July 9, he re-signed with the Clippers[26] and on October 19, his deal converted into a two-way contract.[27]

National team career

Jones was a member of the Bahamian junior national team at the 2019 Centrobasket Under-17 Championship in the Dominican Republic. His team finished seventh place out of eight teams.[28]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Charlotte 21 0 3.0 .643 .500 .375 .5 .2 .0 .1 1.0
2022–23 Charlotte 46 0 12.0 .558 .211 .731 2.7 .3 .4 .7 3.4
Career 67 0 9.1 .567 .238 .647 2.0 .3 .3 .5 2.7

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Texas 27 10 16.7 .500 .292 .636 3.2 .4 .5 1.1 3.6
2020–21 Texas 26 4 22.8 .580 .382 .689 4.8 .6 .8 .9 8.8
Career 53 14 19.7 .553 .345 .677 4.0 .5 .7 1.0 6.2

References

  1. ^ a b Daniels, Evan (June 5, 2018). "Kai Jones shows well at Global Academy, as interest picks up". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "BWB Americas come to an end in The Bahamas". The Nassau Guardian. July 11, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Givony, Jonathan (June 7, 2018). "Scouting the most interesting draft prospects at the NBA Global Camp". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  4. ^ McMullen, Ryan (October 15, 2018). "Texas lands Bahamian big man Kai Jones, who worked out with Deandre Ayton". ZagsBlog.com. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  5. ^ Perper, Jake (June 5, 2018). "2019 F Kai Jones talks OCP state title, recruitment and more". PrepHoops.com. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  6. ^ Kemp, Bill (March 7, 2018). "Canterbury falls in Class 3A state championship game". The News-Press. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  7. ^ Dorsett, Renaldo (October 16, 2018). "Kai Jones Commits To The University Of Texas Longhorns". The Tribune. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  8. ^ Snow, Brian (January 2, 2019). "Kai Jones shows major potential and is ready to make impact". 247Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  9. ^ Dorsett, Renaldo (February 6, 2019). "Jones Named In Tournament Team". The Tribune. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  10. ^ French, Simba (March 12, 2019). "Jones, Brewster Academy win National Prep Championships". The Nassau Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  11. ^ Holland, EJ (October 15, 2018). "Four-star big man Kai Jones commits to Texas". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  12. ^ Dorsett, Renaldo (December 16, 2019). "Kai Jones Wants More Playing Time With Texas Longhorns". Bahamas Tribune. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  13. ^ Davis, Brian (March 11, 2020). "Big 12 tournament men's preview: No. 4 seed Texas vs. No. 5 seed Texas Tech". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  14. ^ Dorsett, Renaldo (January 28, 2021). "Kai Jones posts his first double double in NCAA". The Tribune. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  15. ^ Wallace, Roger (March 8, 2021). "Longhorns' Kai Jones named Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year". KXAN-TV. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  16. ^ Coleman, Madeline (March 24, 2021). "Texas Forward Kai Jones Declares for NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  17. ^ "Hornets acquire No. 19 pick in trade with Knicks". NBA.com. July 30, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  18. ^ Wash, Quinton (August 3, 2021). "Charlotte Hornets Sign James Bouknight and Kai Jones". NBA.com. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  19. ^ "Charlotte Hornets Statement Regarding Kai Jones". NBA.com. September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  20. ^ Villarin, Yoko Nicole (October 17, 2023). "Charlotte Hornets Cuts Ties With Kai Jones After Public Trade Request". The Independent Singapore. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Callihan, Schuyler (October 9, 2023). "Kai Jones Announces He Has Requested a Trade". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Charlotte Hornets Waive Kai Jones". NBA.com. October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  23. ^ "76ers Sign Kai Jones to a 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  24. ^ "76ers' Kai Jones: Headed to G League". CBSSports.com. March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  25. ^ LA Clippers [@LAClippers] (April 14, 2024). "Welcome to #ClipperNation, Kai Jones!" (Tweet). Retrieved April 14, 2024 – via Twitter.
  26. ^ Maher, Rory (July 10, 2024). "Clippers Sign Kai Jones To Exhibit 10 Contract". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  27. ^ Tucker, Tristan (October 19, 2024). "Clippers Convert Kai Jones To Two-Way Contract". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  28. ^ French, Simba (May 4, 2019). "Groups for 2019 Centrobasket U-17 Championships revealed". The Nassau Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2019.