It may be three years away from now, but projected first round 2021 NBA (National Basketball Association) draftee Bahamian Kai Jones is hoping to get the Bahamas senior men’s national basketball team in the 2024 Summer Olympics, to be held in Paris, France.
Tomorrow night is a huge night for the center/forward as he sits in the green room with his family and waits to hear his name called at the 2021 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. If he is drafted, he will become the third Bahamian currently playing in the NBA, joining the Sacramento Kings’ Chavano “Buddy” Hield and the Phoenix Suns’ DeAndre Ayton in the league.
“The Olympics will be in 2024,” Jones said. “By that time I will be 23, a grown man. I will be a problem and Ayton and Hield will be better, so I think we are going to be an issue. Hopefully Klay Thompson will be able to play, but we are going to have a solid team. We are going to have more than enough to qualify for the Olympics and medal.”
The Bahamas has a strong pool of professional and college players that can help the country have a strong basketball team participate at Olympics. However, like in recent times, the difficulty is getting players to be available and to play during the qualifying window. However, if the team can advance through the different paths, Bahamians can see a strong team in Paris.
Basketball in The Bahamas has seen a growth as more Bahamians play in the NBA and professionally in Europe, Asia and South America. With Ayton’s brilliant run through the playoffs that saw him and his Suns losing 4-2 to the Milwaukee Bucks, The Bahamas gained a lot of exposure. Jones love the attention that the NBA has picked up in The Bahamas.
“It is awesome seeing the enthusiasm and the fan base grow,” Jones said. “People are paying more attention to the NBA and it is inspiring to the kids back home as it was inspiring to me.”
The former University of Texas Longhorns player is no stranger to social media. He said that he has gotten a lot of support from younger Bahamians through that medium.
“In The Bahamas, the support is huge. I feel it everyday and every time I post that I am in the gym or something, young Bahamians hit me up and ask me ‘How do I get there? What do I have to do? Do you have any advice?’ I always try to reach out to them and talk to them,” Jones said.
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