As a freshman playing for a national powerhouse in prep basketball Chino Hills, LaMelo Ball was thrust into the national spotlight alongside his brothers, Lonzo and Liangelo Ball. Scoring 92 points in a single game, becoming a viral commodity on Sports-Center and several social media platforms, notably for pointing at the half-court mark before nailing a 30ft 3pt shot.
The father of the Ball Boys, Lavar Ball began to make clairvoyant proclamations that LaMelo would be the golden child of the three: the star, possessing the highest ceiling from a basketball perspective. Things began to change rapidly for LaMelo when his father Lavar Ball, at the end of his sophomore season, pulled him from the Chino Hills squad and announced that he’d be training and homeschooling Melo for the last two years of his prep basketball career. LaMelo would resume his high school career for a brief stint at Spire academy his senior year where he’d be mentored and trained by Jermaine Jackson.
With his college eligibility in question due to his short stay professionally in Lithuania Melo decided to take his talents to the NBL: widely considered by many as a tier under the NBA in terms of boasting some of the most talented basketball players on the planet. Supremely talented, touted nationally since his freshman year in high school, becoming a viral sensation for his braggadocios flair and antics both on and off the court, and facing Zion Williamson (2019-NBA #1 draft pick) on the AAU circuit in a game streamed by a million viewers around the globe.
LaMelo’s ascension to superstardom seems to be coupled with pressure, critique, and fluctuating adversity. LaMelo, in his first few games in the NBL, would have some to believe he wouldn’t be able to contribute immediately at the NBA level. LaMelo then started to single-handedly pick apart complex defenses that have more emphasis on containment than the NBA does and his mere presence has landed them an influx of media and capital due to his fanfare. He was then sidelined with a foot injury that eventually caused him to miss the remainder of his 1-year contractual agreement with the Illawarra Hawks.
Conventional scouts would say he had done enough to impress and land a top 2 draft spot in the upcoming NBA Draft. The Charlotte Hornets would end up selecting him with the 3rd overall pick. Head Coach of the Hornets, James Borrego, benched Melo intentionally in his first 15 games with the organization last season. Borrego said in a press conference after a regular-season game “I’ll move LaMelo’s minutes up when he plays the right way”. After 20 games into last season (2020-2021), he began nailing deep treys, making J-Kiddesque passes, and crossing over defenders Lamelo became a starter in Borrego’s rotation.
He was dominating the conversations for Rookie of the Year at that point. Living up to those golden child proclamations that his father made. 41 games into his rookie campaign, while on the road against the Clippers, Melo would drive to the basket on a play and land on his wrist. An MRI revealed he’d fractured it and would be out indefinitely. He returned for a hand full of games late in the season (2020-2021) and execs around the league seemed to be convinced that he’d done enough to bring home Rookie of the Year accolades. Michael Jordan said last season that “LaMelo has adjusted to the NBA game better than all of us ever expected”.
LaMelo would go on to win the coveted Rookie of the Year Award in a tightly contested race over, 2020 #1 draft pick, Anthony Edwards. This season Melo has taken more steps toward prophetic greatness, and in the first 21 games of his sophomore season, he’s averaging 20.0 ppg, 7.7rbg, and 8.3apg (NBA.com), showcasing a brand of dazzling and charismatic basketball acumen. LaMelo continues to captivate us with his quickness, maestro-like ball-handling and shooting efforts off the dribble. James Borrego said recently in a press conference “Imagine Melo in 5 years from now…” A question we should all rave about.
All stats taken from NBA.com, ESPN.com, or Basketball Reference unless otherwise stated.
