KC native signs with Denver Nuggets after two-way deal. He celebrated on LinkedIn
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Spencer Jones moved from a two-way to a standard contract with Denver.
- Jones averaged 6 PTS, 3 REB and 41.4% from three this season.
- He announced the contract on LinkedIn and discussed his business pursuits.
Kansas City has several connections to the Denver Nuggets — including one player who took the long road to achieving his NBA dream.
Blue Valley Northwest alum and former Kansas Jayhawk Christian Braun is one of the most heralded men’s basketball players to emerge from the KC area. He was a key cog in championship runs with the Huskies and Jayhawks and now the Nuggets, who awarded him a five-year, $125 million contract in November.
One of Braun’s teammates, Shawnee native and Bishop Miege product Spencer Jones, was playing on a two-way contract with the Nuggets after going undrafted in 2024.
The Stanford grad played 11 games for the Grand Rapids Gold, the Nuggets’ G League team, while receiving minimal minutes with the Nuggets last year.
But this season, the 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward was thrust into a starting role because of injuries to a couple of Denver’s starters, including Braun. Kansas City, Kansas native and Mizzou product Tamar Bates is also on a two-way deal with the Nuggets but is currently recovering from an injury.
Jones has started 34 games (46 total appearances) for Denver this season, averaging six points and three rebounds while shooting 50.5% (41.4% from 3-point range) in 23.6 minutes per game. He has scored in double-figures 11 times this season, including a career-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting (4-of-6 from deep) against the Dallas Mavericks in December.
Jones has also shown defensive prowess, recording a steal in 28 games; he collected multiple steals in 12. He has helped the Nuggets stay in the top half of the Western Conference, where they sit in third after the NBA All-Star Break.
Jones’ hard work was rewarded this week, as he was moving from a two-way deal to a standard contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who first announced the deal on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old Jones shared his joy on LinkedIn, where he has more than 26,000 followers. More athletes have turned to the business social-media platform to express their views.
“I got a raise!” Jones posted. “(F)or the last 2 years, I was proud to wear that two-way title. It was a role that always felt fitting.”
He explained how he split his time pursuing an NBA career while also “building a foundation in business, tech and investing.” His profile says he is an investor in several companies, and he has a bachelor’s degree in management science and engineering.
He was also open about the uncertainty involved in pursuing an NBA career.
“It’s one of the hardest ways to earn a full roster spot in the NBA. You’re more likely to be cut than kept on a two-way… never mind converted. Starting at the very end of the bench, work alone doesn’t guarantee anything. Sometimes you’re subject to timing, opportunity, or just dumb luck.”
Jones compared a two-way contract to his dual identity as an athlete and business-builder. He said his work ethic will remain the same, but the security of a standard contract makes a world of difference. And the money that comes with it is nice, too.
“Still proving. Still building. Still operating two-ways… just with a little more money in my pocket,” he posted with a laughing emoji.
