Troubled 76ers big man opens up about concerning past behavior

Philadelphia 76ers big man Kai Jones made headlines for the wrong reasons earlier this season. The former first-round pick has since opened up about what may have caused his unusual behavior.

The concern surrounding Jones began with a bizarre live stream on Instagram wherein the then-Charlotte Hornets center was speaking in what sounded like gibberish (video here). Jones also beefed with his Hornets teammates online and eventually asked to be traded.

The Hornets ended up waiving Jones, who was signed by the 76ers last week.

On Monday, Jones sounded like a man ready to move on in his interview with The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The 23-year-old revealed that he had dealt with the deaths of two of his great grandparents. The ordeal had made him contemplate on his own mortality, leading to “negative voices” impacting him mentally.

“I think I was just trying to cancel out the negative voices in my head. Because, to be honest with you, Shams, I didn’t want to die,” Jones told Charania.