MoN@N-doped carbon hollow spheres (denoted as MoN@NC) assembled from porous nanosheets are facilely fabricated via one-pot hydrothermal process followed by in-situ nitridation treatment. Consequently, these hollow spherical structures have a porous feature and exhibited a large surface area of 111.5 m2 g−1. Due to the intrinsic metallic characteristics, MoN@NC hollow spheres demonstrate superior electrochemical performance as an anode material for lithium ion battery. In detail, it delivers a capacity of 571 mA h g−1 after 800 cycles at 1 A g−1.