Kai Martinez Jones (born January 19, 2001) is a Bahamian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA), on a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

with the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado 14 ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and ...

Early life

Born in

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

, Jones moved to the United States when he was 11 years old. After his sophomore year in high school, he returned to his home country hoping to pursue a career as a

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

er. At age 15, Jones played organized basketball for his first time, being drawn to the sport after having a growth spurt.

High school career

In the summer of 2017, Jones took part in a

Basketball Without Borders Basketball Without Borders is a basketball instructional camp organized by the NBA in conjunction with FIBA. It presents itself as a “basketball development and community outreach program that unites young basketball players to promote the sport ...

Americas camp held by the

(NBA) in Nassau. That year, he worked out with and took advice from top high school recruit

Deandre Ayton Deandre Edoneille Ayton Sr. ( ; born July 23, 1998) is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A consensus five-star prospect in the Class of 2017 and a McDonald's All ...

in their hometown of Nassau. As a result, Jones was inspired to play basketball in the United States. For the 2017–18 season, he enrolled at

Orlando Christian Prep Orlando Christian Prep was founded in 1960, and is currently a ministry of Orlando Baptist Church. The school is separated into four academic divisions including Pre-K (K2-K4), Elementary (K5-5th), Middle School (6th-8th), and High School (9th-12 ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, as a high school senior. He was teammates with five-star recruits

Nassir Little Nassir Shamai Little ( ; born February 11, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. Little finished his high school career as one of the top-ranked players in his class, having led Orla ...

and C. J. Walker and helped win the

Florida High School Athletic Association The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is a not-for-profit organization designated by the Florida Legislature as the governing organization to regulate all interscholastic activities of high schools in Florida. It is a member of ...

(FHSAA) Class 3A state championship. In high school, Jones woke up at 4:45 a.m. every day to train and played basketball after school. At the same time, he saw academic success, graduating with a 4.2

grade point average Grading in education is the application of standardized Measurement, measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentage ...

and

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

honors. In the summer of 2018, Jones attended the NBA Global Camp in

Treviso Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...

, Italy. Following his senior year, he played a

postgraduate season A postgraduate (PG) year is an extra year of secondary coursework at a boarding school following high school graduation, but before entering college. It is a gap year option intended for students who either have not applied or were not admitte ...

Brewster Academy Brewster Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school located on in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, United States. It occupies of shoreline along Lake Winnipesaukee. With around 350 students, it serves grades nine through twelve and po ...

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls. History The town was grant ...

. On February 4, 2019, Jones was named to the National Prep Invitational all-tournament team. In March, he helped Brewster Academy win the USA National Prep Championship.

Recruiting

On October 15, 2018, Jones committed to play

for

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. He chose to join the Longhorns over offers from several other

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

programs, including

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

College career

Coach

Shaka Smart Shaka Dingani Smart (born April 8, 1977) is an American men's college basketball coach and former college basketball player. He is the current head men's basketball coach at Marquette University. Smart rose to prominence in 2011 after leading Vi ...

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. As a freshman, Jones averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. On January 26, 2021, he registered his first

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

, with 15 points and 10 rebounds in an 80–79 loss to

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. Jones was named

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

Sixth Man of the Year and to the All-Big 12 honorable mention. 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 The 2021 NBA draft, the 75th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on July 29, 2021, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. The NBA draft returned to Brooklyn after 2020 NBA draft, the pre ...

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2021–2023)

Jones was selected with the 19th pick in the

by the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

and immediately traded to the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. On August 3, he officially signed with the Hornets. 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. 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. On October 9, 2023, Jones publicly requested a trade on X and two days later, he was waived by the Hornets. 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.

Delaware Blue Coats (2024)

On March 15, 2024, Jones signed a 10-day contract with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. However, he only played for the

Delaware Blue Coats The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware. They are the G-League affiliates of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The Bl ...

, Philadelphia's

G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

affiliate.

Los Angeles Clippers (2024–2025)

On April 14, 2024, Jones signed for the rest of the season with the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

. On July 9, he re-signed with the Clippers and on October 19, his deal converted into a

. On March 1, 2025, the Clippers waived Jones.

Dallas Mavericks (2025–present)

On March 2, 2025, Jones signed a

with the

, and on March 3, 2025, he made his debut in Dallas, coming off the bench in a 122–98 loss over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

; he had 21 points, eight rebounds, and one block in the defeat.

National team career

Jones was a member of the Bahamian junior national team at the 2019

Centrobasket The Centrobasket is a FIBA-sponsored international basketball tournament where national teams from Central America and the Caribbean participate. These countries make up the Central American and Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CONCENCABA). Th ...

Under-17 Championship in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. His team finished seventh place out of eight teams.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 21 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .643 , , .500 , , .375 , , .5 , , .2 , , .0 , , .1 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Charlotte , 46 , , 0 , , 12.0 , , .558 , , .211 , , .731 , , 2.7 , , .3 , , .4 , , .7 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 28 , , 0 , , 7.4 , , .722 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , .5 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, 12 , , 6 , , 21.7 , , .836 , , .333 , , .700 , , 6.6 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .8 , , 11.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 107 , , 6 , , 10.1 , , .671 , , .231 , , .682 , , 2.4 , , .4 , , .3 , , .5 , , 3.5

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 10 , , 16.7 , , .500 , , .292 , , .636 , , 3.2 , , .4 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 26 , , 4 , , 22.8 , , .580 , , .382 , , .689 , , 4.8 , , .6 , , .8 , , .9 , , 8.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 53 , , 14 , , 19.7 , , .553 , , .345 , , .677 , , 4.0 , , .5 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 6.2

References

External links

Texas Longhorns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Kai 2001 births Living people 21st-century Bahamian sportsmen Bahamian expatriate basketball people in the United States Bahamian men's basketball players Basketball players from Nassau, Bahamas Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets players Dallas Mavericks players Delaware Blue Coats players Greensboro Swarm players Los Angeles Clippers players New York Knicks draft picks San Diego Clippers (NBA G League) players Texas Longhorns men's basketball players