Kai Jones has been acting a bit out of the ordinary over the last month or so. The 22-year-old’s wild antics on camera, along with his questionable back-and-forths with fans on social media platforms, had created concern in the NBA community. Unfortunately for him, this has culminated in the Charlotte Hornets deciding to keep him away from the team indefinitely, as per Shams Charania. Amidst this news, X (formerly Twitter) user @OwnHimMarjon wonders if it was his interaction with the player that was the final nail in the coffin.
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That being said, Jones has no one but himself to blame for the Hornets’ action against him. His saga of controversies began with his own Instagram Live, as seen in this SportsCenter post.
View this post on Instagram
Since then, Jones has also publicly made some outrageous claims about his greatness. In addition, clowning his own teammates LaMelo Ball, Nick Richards and Mark Williams, had already put him in an awful position.
Mark Williams had the perfect reaction to Kai Jones disrespecting him on instagram pic.twitter.com/oGjlxaaJi8
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 13, 2023
However, to make matters much worse for the young man, his controversial DMs with a fan were recently revealed as well.
Kai Jones has an awkward conversation with a fan, betting money on 1v1
There is nothing wrong with having confidence in one’s self. After all, that is how most NBA players made it as professionals in the first place. However, Kai Jones unfortunately doesn’t seem to focus it on the right direction.
He recently agreed to do a 1v1 game with the Twitter user mentioned previously, in Milwaukee. Their admittedly wild interaction can be seen in the following X thread.
HERES THE WHOLE CONVERSATION pic.twitter.com/nIfe9FKl52
— ✞ (@OwnHimMarjon) September 30, 2023
After these DMs were made public, the Charlotte Hornets acted quickly, putting distance between Kai Jones and the rest of their team.
The Charlotte Hornets will have 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones away from the team indefinitely and there’s no timetable for his return, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Jones will miss training camp due to personal reasons, and team remains in constant communication with him.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 30, 2023
Provided the fact that the update came right after their conversation was made public, the fan revealed feeling a bit shocked by the situation, as they posted the following.
I JUST F*CKING ENDED HIS CAREER NOW WAY https://t.co/7dirmNmJnc
— ✞ (@OwnHimMarjon) September 30, 2023
“I JUST F**KING ENDED HIS CAREER NOW WAY”
Admittedly, Jones has as much potential as anyone in the NBA at the moment. However, he has made a lot of mistakes. For his sake, we do hope that he can guide himself back onto the right path.
Jones has potential but may be going through something
Young people make several mistakes throughout their lives. Unfortunately for Kai Jones, his are very much public.
Admittedly, Jones has the talent to be a very good player in the league. He clearly has the physical tools to succeed, along with the confidence to make it happen. However, for now, he just doesn’t seem to be all there mentally.
There is a chance that this could be a cry for help from a young man who is painfully aware of himself but can’t quite face it. To combat the situation, the only hope is that he is able to have the right people around him to help.
