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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Patrick Andres

NBA Role Player Says He’d Beat LeBron James, ‘Prime’ Shaq One-on-One

In 46 games last season, Hornets center Kai Jones averaged 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12 minutes.

However, what Jones lacks in numbers he appears to make up for in confidence.

Jones boldly indicated on social media early Thursday morning that he believed he could defeat both Lakers forward LeBron James and “prime” Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal one-on-one.

The saga began when Jones made disparaging comments on Instagram Wednesday morning about fellow Charlotte centers Mark Williams and Nick Richards. He followed those up Thursday morning by claiming on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to be a better player than guard LaMelo Ball and forward Brandon Miller, widely viewed as cornerstones of the Hornets’ rebuild.

Asked whether he could beat James one-on-one, Jones then replied, “Yes 100%.”

After declaring that “this new version of me is MVP and DPOY in here over and over” followed by a string of emojis, Jones announced he would “cook prime Diesel [O’Neal] in here.”

Jones is entering his third year with Charlotte after two years at Texas, although the impact of his comments on his standing with the Hornets remains to be seen. Charlotte opens its season on Oct. 25 against the Hawks.

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