Just when you thought that Charlotte Hornets’ young big man Kai Jones wouldn’t go any further. Kai Jones is once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The 2021 first-round pick has been making rounds on the internet after countless erratic and weird posts and activities on his social media. Aside from that, Jones is also having troubles as a professional basketball player and could force his way out of the league. With numerous controversies, what’s really going on with Kai Jones nowadays?
Kai Jones publicly revealed that he had just requested a trade from the Charlotte Hornets
It’s not unusual for a player to request a trade from the front office. But, expressing it publicly is another story. Surprisingly enough, Kai Jones did exactly that. On October 9, Jones posted on X (formally Twitter) that he had “officially requested to be traded from the Charlotte Hornets.”. That post has since gone viral and piqued the interest of many fans as this marks one of Kai Jones’ internet fiasco.
Unfortunately for the 22-year-old forward/center, he could be facing fines and/or a suspension after publicly sharing his trade request online. According to an NBA rule, players who do so can be fined up to $150,000. Talk about getting a huge paycut.
What’s going on with Kai Jones?
Basketball fans have been wondering what’s going on with Kai Jones. Not only did the former Texas Longhorn post a series of outrageous and hilarious tweets, but he also recorded himself in multiple disturbing videos which he shared on Instagram and TikTok.
An Instagram livestream that went viral saw Jones acting weird and was seemingly either drunk or high on drugs. His words in the video were incomprehensible and there were abstract scribbles on his wall. As a result, netizens believe that Jones may have been on “Crack” while filming. However, he later confirmed that he was not intoxicated nor was he under the influence of drugs.
Kai Jones also relentlessly calls himself the GOAT (Greatest of all time) and he believes it one hundred percent. He even brags about it online with the #GOATLIFE on his socials. With this kind of peculiar behavior, it’s not shocking that some people believe Kai Jones is going through something serious. He may just want to be the laughingstock of the NBA but this could also tell something else. Many speculate that Jones may be suffering from severe mental issues (e.g. depression). Unfortunately, we’ll never know unless Jones or one member of his camp sheds some light on this matter.
Kai Jones could potentially be out of the NBA after having problems on the court, especially with the Hornets
Back in September, Kai Jones made headlines after publicly criticizing his teammates, Nick Richards and Mark Williams. He threw some shade on his fellow Hornets while also trying to raise himself up. Apart from that, Jones also dubbed himself as the better player than All-Star LaMelo Ball and 2023 2nd overall pick Brandon Miller. It was all fun and games until suddenly, his teammates started unfollowing him on social media. It is safe to say that Kai’s relationship with his teammates is slowly going down the drain.
Then, earlier this month, the Charlotte Hornets made an announcement via Shams Charania that Kai Jones will be stepping away from the team indefinitely. His absence from the team has no timetable and that the said reason was due to “personal reasons”.
“Kai Jones will not participate in training camp due to personal reasons,” the Hornets’ statement read. “There is currently not a timetable for his return to the team. Out of respect for the personal nature of the situation, the Hornets will not have any additional public comment regarding the matter at this time.”
Kai Jones has already missed training camp, media day, team practices, and the NBA preseason since October 1st. He did participate in the 2k24 Summer League where he made a buzz after dunking on the French star Victor Wembanyama. Sadly, at this rate, that could be the last time we’re going to see a Kai Jones highlight.
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