Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Kai Jones: "I requested (Hornets) to waive me because they were telling me that they didn't think I was ready to come into training camp and from a mental health perspective. So, there were some things that I was doing, like my sleep pattern, and at this time I was going through a lot. So, my great-grandmother had passed away, and that wasn't the only thing. It was also the way that the things that happened with my family after the fact. I was just in a mental place of, damn, I didn't feel as at peace as I am now. I didn't feel as close to my family as I am now. I just felt like all these existential questions of life and death, and am I ever going to pass away?"
Kai Jones: "Mitch Kupchak, he believed in me from the first day. He told me that he really thought I was going to be a great player in the NBA. And even when I was waived and a free agent, I called him up and I said, Mitch, thank you for everything you did for me. And he told me, I still think you have a chance to come back into the NBA and be a great player. And I think that I did, showing my preseason with the Clippers and my time with the Clippers and the Mavs. I think that I showed that I can really play at a high level in the NBA and help a team win."
Kai Jones: "I had some teams talking to me about possibly coming in on an Exhibit 10 in the NBA, but I'm like, man, I would rather go play high-level ball overseas and make some good money than to do the non-guaranteed route which is what I had already did with the Clippers. It was a great experience, but you know, I felt like I had deserved more than that and I was like, I can go and play for money and still get recruited from there."
Kai Jones: "I'm sober now, and I went a year sober, like the past year in the NBA I was sober the whole year. And then I drank a little bit this offseason, like broke my sobriety, and I've been sober since I've been in the EuroLeague. And yeah, to me, I love being sober. It's not that I was addicted to alcohol and weed, but when I was playing in the NBA, the NBPA stepped in and they felt that it was best for me to stop smoking and to stop drinking. So, I said, okay, for sure. If this is going to help me get back in the NBA, I'll stop. And I think that that was good for me because it helped me play at the highest level."
Advertisement
I just went through every pick from 2020 through 2024. That’s 150 first-round picks. First question: did they make an impact for more than a month or two for the team that drafted them? The obvious choices are Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball (2020); Cade Cunningham (2021) and Stephon Castle (2024). Throw in guys like Onyeka Okongwu (2020) and Anthony Black (2023) who clearly are difference makers for the teams that drafted them or traded for them on draft night. How many of that 150 total made the “good list”? 46. In total, less than a third of those first rounders have proved, on their original team, that they belong. For every Franz Wagner and Alperen Şengün we had a Patrick Williams or Kai Jones.
Former NBA big man Kai Jones has signed a two-year extension with Anadolu Efes, the Turkish club announced in a press release. The 19th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Jones technically holds four years of NBA experience even though he didn’t appear in a game in 2023/24 — he signed a 10-day contract with Philadelphia near the end of that campaign.
Cole Swider erupted for 20 points in just 15 minutes, Isaia Cordinier sealed the victory with clutch baskets in the final moments, and Kai Jones — the first Bahamian ever to play in the EuroLeague — left his fingerprints all over the game. His line was modest by NBA standards: 7 rebounds, a block, a pair of electrifying dunks, and a PIR of 13. But for Jones, this night in Piraeus meant far more than numbers. Speaking to BasketNews after the win, Jones' tone was calm and measured — a far cry from the whirlwind reputation that followed him during his NBA years. "It's going well," he said. "I'm glad that I chose to come here, and the team's doing really well. It's a really good team. Yeah, I'm loving it so far."
Forward/Center Kai Jones has signed with Anadolu Efes in Turkey for the upcoming season. Jones' deal with Anadolu Efes is expected to include an NBA out that can be triggered in January. Jones spent last season with the LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. In 40 total NBA games, the 6-foot-11 big man averaged 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game.ç
Marc Stein: Jordan Loyd is nearing an agreement to join Turkish power @AnadoluEfesSK after his breakout @EuroBasket , @TheSteinLine has learned. Real Madrid faced too many hurdles to sign Loyd away from AS Monaco. Efes now close to adding Loyd to recent signees Cole Swider and Kai Jones.
Advertisement
The Heat opted to sign Dru Smith instead of a backup center such as Kai Jones, who auditioned for Miami last week, or veteran center Trey Lyles, who also has been linked to the Heat. Miami isn’t expected to add a backup center in free agency anytime soon, though it’s conceivable that could be addressed with another trade.
Barry Jackson: Heat is going to keep Kai Jones at Kaseya Center through Thursday as they continue "kicking the tires" on the veteran center/PF, per source. He's not eligible for a 2-way. Miami has 14 players on standard contracts; Heat could add 15th before camp or early in the season
Anthony Chiang: Correction: Kai Jones is NOT eligible for a two-way deal. So Heat would need to sign him to a standard deal to make him part of its roster for next season.
