{"id":22798,"date":"2021-10-23T02:31:03","date_gmt":"2021-10-23T07:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22798"},"modified":"2021-10-23T02:31:03","modified_gmt":"2021-10-23T07:31:03","slug":"lamelo-ball-leads-the-hornets-as-bridges-kelly-oubre-jr-and-the-bench-unit-fuel-hornets-1st-road-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=22798","title":{"rendered":"LaMelo Ball leads the Hornets, as Bridges, Kelly Oubre Jr., and the Bench Unit Fuel Hornets 1st Road Win"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"panel-pane pane-etowah-story-pane-photo\">\n<div class=\"pane-content\">\n<div>\n<header class=\"article-header\">\n<h1>LaMelo Ball is the real deal<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<figure class=\"article-figure dim16x9\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/a1.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2021%2F1021%2Fr926413_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&amp;w=920&amp;h=518&amp;scale=crop&amp;cquality=80&amp;location=origin&amp;format=jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 376px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/a1.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2021%2F1021%2Fr926413_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&amp;w=375&amp;h=211&amp;scale=crop&amp;cquality=80&amp;location=origin, https:\/\/a1.espncdn.com\/combiner\/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2021%2F1021%2Fr926413_1296x729_16%2D9.jpg&amp;w=750&amp;h=422&amp;scale=crop&amp;cquality=40&amp;location=origin&amp;format=jpg 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 375px)\" \/><img class=\"null lazyloaded\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"photoCaption\"><strong>LaMelo Ball was electric in all phases of the game in his 2021-22 debut. Then it happened for the second time in a row, The Hornets get the job done in spades, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.<\/strong><\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"photoCaption\"><strong>The Hornets rallied past the Pacers 123-122 behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/player\/_\/id\/4432816\/lamelo-ball\">LaMelo Ball<\/a>. He hit 11 of 23 shots, 7 of 9 3-pointers and 2 of 2 free throws for 31 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two steals and just two turnovers. Ball&#8217;s sophomore debut lived up to all the hype.ESPN Stats &amp; Information says he is the third-youngest player with 30 points in a season opener in NBA history. John Drew and Lamar Odom are the only two who were younger.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a title=\"NBA Rookie of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Rookie_of_the_Year_Award\">NBA Rookie of the Year<\/a> (<a title=\"2020\u201321 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020%E2%80%9321_NBA_season\">2021<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Rookie First Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Rookie_First_Team\">NBA All-Rookie First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"2020\u201321 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020%E2%80%9321_NBA_season\">2021<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"NBL Rookie of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBL_Rookie_of_the_Year_Award\">NBL Rookie of the Year<\/a> (<a title=\"2019\u201320 NBL season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019%E2%80%9320_NBL_season\">2020<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Junior Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Junior_Basketball_Association\">JBA<\/a> champion (<a title=\"2018 JBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2018_JBA_season\">2018<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>JBA All-Star (2018)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>On October 20, 2021, in the Hornets&#8217; season opener, Ball matched his career-high seven three-pointers, while putting up 31 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in a 123\u2013122 win over the <a title=\"Indiana Pacers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Indiana_Pacers\">Indiana Pacers<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1><strong>Bridges, Bench Unit Fuel Hornets 1st Road Win<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22782\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/LA-BALL.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"275\" height=\"183\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"page\" class=\"page\">\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"region region-content\">\n<div id=\"block-system-main\" class=\"block block-system\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"panel-display moscone-flipped clearfix \">\n<div class=\"moscone-flipped-container moscone-flipped-column-content clearfix\">\n<div class=\"moscone-flipped-column-content-region moscone-flipped-content panel-panel\">\n<div id=\"moscone-flipped-content-inner\" class=\"moscone-flipped-column-content-region-inner moscone-flipped-content-inner panel-panel-inner\">\n<div class=\"panel-pane pane-entity-field pane-node-body\">\n<div class=\"pane-content\">\n<div class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden\">\n<p><strong>Ever since Head Coach James Borrego took over the team in 2018, the Hornets have steadily gotten better and better at winning on the road.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cI love the mentality of this group. They just bunker in,\u201d said Borrego on Thursday afternoon before the team left for Cleveland. \u201cThere\u2019s something about being on the road together. This group just thrives in that environment.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In order to become a playoff team this year, Charlotte knows it needs to keep improving in this area. So far, so good to start the 2021-22 NBA campaign, as the Hornets knocked off the Cavaliers, 123-112, on Friday night to kick off their first road trip of the season and also start 2-0 for the first time since 2016.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And as for the \u201cbunkering down,\u201d mentality Borrego was referring to, the Hornets did just that in the closing frame, using a 19-2 fourth-quarter-opening tidal wave to completely blow this contest wide open. Charlotte ended up scoring 34 total points off 19 Cleveland turnovers, with 15 off those points coming over the final 12 minutes of play.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWe put on another great run there, similar to the last game [against Indiana],\u201d said Borrego afterwards. \u201cThe start of that fourth quarter, the energy, the defense, to get out, run, make plays for each other was just a great way to close out that game. This is a special group. If we can lock in, buy in, this group has a chance to do something pretty special.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Miles Bridges finished with 30 points and seven rebounds, marking the fourth time in his career he\u2019s crossed the 30-point threshold (all of which have now been on the road). Kelly Oubre Jr. added another 25 points in 27 minutes off the pine to lead a Charlotte reserve unit that outscored its Cavaliers counterpart by a decisive 45-27 margin.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cIt was a total team effort,\u201d added Borrego. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get off to a great start. Our bench really got us back in this game. Ish Smith, Cody Martin and you have to give Kelly Oubre a lot of credit for just keeping us in that first half until we found our rhythm. You don\u2019t know who is going to step up, but somebody is going to step up. I love our depth. I love our toughness.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Added Oubre, \u201cI\u2019m water. I try and form to whatever situation that I\u2019m thrown into and then succeed at it. That was the main goal. Continue to be who I am no matter what Coach does with the lineups or anything like that.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Winning on the road is a challenge for every team in the NBA, regardless of the opponent. But having a multitude of different players like Bridges or Oubre who can go off on any given night can make things a whole lot easier. It\u2019s something the Hornets will certainly hope to keep seeing as the season transpires.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Charlotte will now head to the Barclays Center to face NBA All-Stars Kevin Durant, James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon starting at 4 PM ET.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-post-header\">\n<header class=\"td-post-title\">\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\"><strong>LaMelo Ball Introduces The New Show Time In Charlotte | Is North Carolina Ready For This Level Of Brash Hollywood Flamboyance?<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td-post-content tagdiv-type\">\n<div class=\"td-post-featured-image\"><strong><a class=\"td-modal-image\" href=\"https:\/\/theshadowleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/5BA6F56E-19C1-4DE8-8C71-73BC5D482C65.jpeg\" data-caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type1-2\" title=\"5BA6F56E-19C1-4DE8-8C71-73BC5D482C65\" src=\"https:\/\/theshadowleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/5BA6F56E-19C1-4DE8-8C71-73BC5D482C65.jpeg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theshadowleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/5BA6F56E-19C1-4DE8-8C71-73BC5D482C65.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/theshadowleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/5BA6F56E-19C1-4DE8-8C71-73BC5D482C65-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/theshadowleague.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/5BA6F56E-19C1-4DE8-8C71-73BC5D482C65-150x100.jpeg 150w\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n<p><strong>Melo Ball told us he was something different. He doesn\u2019t consider himself a social media star or NBA Star. He\u2019s a movement, an extension of a royal family whose father predicted the success of his kids and forewarned us about his youngest prodigy, similar to how Richard Williams confidently proclaimed his youngest daughter Serena as the alien of tennis.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4><strong>The Total Superstar Package\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong>Lonzo Ball set the tone as far as proving the marketability of the Ball brothers. He had the hype and the co-sign from the Lakers and Magic Johnson, but he didn\u2019t have those transcendent skills.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>He\u2019s solid, but he\u2019s not Melo, who is an unadulterated superstar. Where Lonzo seemed to lack confidence early in his career, Melo stepped on the court knowing he was one of the best in the business.<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"tl\"><strong>Matches his Lamborghini <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2aWmk6AtTd\">pic.twitter.com\/2aWmk6AtTd<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2014 SOLID SNAKE (@Sneakersnake12) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Sneakersnake12\/status\/1451036374304317445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 21, 2021<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td-post-content tagdiv-type\">\n<h4><strong>Sophomore Season Sickness\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong>The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year arrived at Spectrum Center Arena in downtown Charlotte wearing a neon green suit with a neon green trench coat and driving his matching neon green Lamborghini.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ball showed up suited and booted for the Hornets season opener. When the lights came on, the 2020 NBA Draft No.2 overall selection was unstoppable putting in 31 points (11-23 overall and 7-9 from three) to anchor his nine rebounds and seven assists, two steals in a thrilling 123-122 win over the Pacers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LaMelo Ball Goes OFF in Sophomore Debut\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/o-bgB9tahrk?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Last night\u2019s performance was a microcosm of what head coach James Barrego says he\u2019d like to see from his franchise player and lead guard going forward.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ball was dominant and decisive in everything he did on the floor, and that type of leadership and confidence infused some life into the listless Hornets, which overcame a 16-point halftime deficit (75-59) by outsourcing the Pacers (64-47) in the second half and (33-13) in the big third quarter rally behind a (24-0) run that had fans chanting \u201cMVP\u201d \u201cMVP\u201d\u00a0 as Ball stepped to the free-throw line.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ball was the catalyst behind it all, as he was either \u201cDropping Dimes\u2019 \u2018 or going \u201cBombs over Baghdad\u201d from deep.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ball was asked about that moment:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cYeah definitely, I heard it.\u201d The city turnt. I love it. We\u2019re gonna keep trying to win.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20405\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/lamelo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"298\" height=\"169\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<h4><strong>MJ\u2019s Prized Disciple\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><strong>Melo\u2019s enthusiasm to build small-market Charlotte into a winner is music to the front office\u2019s ears. As he continues to soar past his peers, the possibility of him jumping to a larger market will loom over the franchise. For now, Ball\u2019s embraced Charlotte and playing under the guidance of Michael Jordan is something he hopes to do for a long time.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cYou\u2019re supposed to just go to a team and just build from there,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsnaut.com\/lamelo-ball-superstar-status-charlotte-hornets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Melo told reporters<\/a>. \u201cI feel that\u2019s how it should be. \u201cEspecially when you like a high pick too, most likely going to a team that wasn\u2019t as good, so you try to make them better. I feel like that\u2019s the whole process right there.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Head coach James Barrego is pleased with his young star\u2019s maturation and had this to say about it:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h5><strong>\u201cMelo has played off of instinct his whole life. \u201cWhat makes him special is his feel and instinct, which none of us can teach. Now it\u2019s about raising his basketball IQ, where he\u2019s taking information, processing it, and now applying to an NBA game. That\u2019s his next level. The details of winning an NBA game this season will be more valued through his lens.\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Welcome to The Melo Ball Era.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-18395\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lamelo-ch-300x207.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lamelo-ch-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lamelo-ch-1024x706.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lamelo-ch-768x530.jpg 768w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lamelo-ch-1080x745.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lamelo-ch.jpg 1140w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-18u37iz r-1wbh5a2\">\n<div class=\"css-901oao css-bfa6kz r-14j79pv r-18u37iz r-37j5jr r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-rjixqe r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\" dir=\"ltr\"><strong><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">@MELOD1P<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 id=\"firstHeading\" class=\"firstHeading\"><strong>LaMelo Ball<\/strong><\/h1>\n<div id=\"bodyContent\" class=\"vector-body\">\n<div id=\"mw-content-text\" class=\"mw-body-content mw-content-ltr\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\n<div class=\"mw-parser-output\">\n<table class=\"infobox vcard\">\n<caption class=\"infobox-title fn summary\"><strong>LaMelo Ball<\/strong><\/caption>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-image\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"image\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:LaMelo_Ball_Illawarra_Hawks_(2)_(cropped).jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/8a\/LaMelo_Ball_Illawarra_Hawks_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg\/220px-LaMelo_Ball_Illawarra_Hawks_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/8a\/LaMelo_Ball_Illawarra_Hawks_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg\/330px-LaMelo_Ball_Illawarra_Hawks_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/8\/8a\/LaMelo_Ball_Illawarra_Hawks_%282%29_%28cropped%29.jpg 2x\" alt=\"LaMelo Ball Illawarra Hawks (2) (cropped).jpg\" width=\"220\" height=\"355\" data-file-width=\"379\" data-file-height=\"611\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"infobox-caption\"><strong>Ball with the <a title=\"Illawarra Hawks\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Illawarra_Hawks\">Illawarra Hawks<\/a> in 2019<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>No. 2 \u2013 Charlotte Hornets<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Position<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data role\"><strong><a title=\"Point guard\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Point_guard\">Point guard<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>League<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">NBA<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Personal information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Born<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>August 22, 2001<span class=\"noprint ForceAgeToShow\"> (age\u00a020)<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><a title=\"Anaheim, California\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anaheim,_California\">Anaheim, California<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Nationality<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>American<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Listed height<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>6\u00a0ft 7\u00a0in (2.01\u00a0m)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Listed weight<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>180\u00a0lb (82\u00a0kg)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career information<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>High school<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data plainlist\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Chino Hills High School\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chino_Hills_High_School\">Chino Hills<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a title=\"Chino Hills, California\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chino_Hills,_California\">Chino Hills, California<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>SPIRE Academy<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>(<a title=\"Geneva, Ohio\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Geneva,_Ohio\">Geneva, Ohio<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_draft\">NBA draft<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"2020 NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_NBA_draft\">2020<\/a> \/ Round: 1 \/ Pick: 3rd overall<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Selected by the <a title=\"Charlotte Hornets\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charlotte_Hornets\">Charlotte Hornets<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>Playing career<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong>2018\u2013present<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career history<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>2018<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"BC Prienai\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BC_Prienai\">Prienai<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong>2018<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Los Angeles Ballers\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Los_Angeles_Ballers\">Los Angeles Ballers<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"2019\u201320 NBL season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019%E2%80%9320_NBL_season\">2019\u20132020<\/a><\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Illawarra Hawks\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Illawarra_Hawks\">Illawarra Hawks<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-label\" scope=\"row\"><strong><a title=\"2020\u201321 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020%E2%80%9321_NBA_season\">2020<\/a>\u2013present<\/strong><\/th>\n<td class=\"infobox-data\"><strong><a title=\"Charlotte Hornets\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charlotte_Hornets\">Charlotte Hornets<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"infobox-header\" colspan=\"2\"><strong>Career highlights and awards<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a title=\"NBA Rookie of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Rookie_of_the_Year_Award\">NBA Rookie of the Year<\/a> (<a title=\"2020\u201321 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020%E2%80%9321_NBA_season\">2021<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"NBA All-Rookie First Team\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_All-Rookie_First_Team\">NBA All-Rookie First Team<\/a> (<a title=\"2020\u201321 NBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020%E2%80%9321_NBA_season\">2021<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"NBL Rookie of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBL_Rookie_of_the_Year_Award\">NBL Rookie of the Year<\/a> (<a title=\"2019\u201320 NBL season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2019%E2%80%9320_NBL_season\">2020<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a title=\"Junior Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Junior_Basketball_Association\">JBA<\/a> champion (<a title=\"2018 JBA season\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2018_JBA_season\">2018<\/a>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>JBA All-Star (2018)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/player\/1630163\" rel=\"nofollow\">Stats<\/a>\u00a0<a title=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q28741203#P3647\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png\" srcset=\"\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/15px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 1.5x, \/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/8\/8a\/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg\/20px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png 2x\" alt=\"Edit this at Wikidata\" width=\"10\" height=\"10\" data-file-width=\"20\" data-file-height=\"20\" \/><\/a> at NBA.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><strong><a class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/ballla01.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">Stats<\/a> at Basketball-Reference.com<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"infobox-full-data\" colspan=\"2\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-21435\" src=\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/LAMELO-B.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>LaMelo LaFrance Ball (born August 22, 2001) is an American professional <a title=\"Basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Basketball\">basketball<\/a> player for the <a title=\"Charlotte Hornets\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Charlotte_Hornets\">Charlotte Hornets<\/a> of the <a title=\"National Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_Association\">National Basketball Association<\/a> (NBA). He was selected by the Hornets with the third overall pick of the <a title=\"2020 NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_NBA_draft\">2020 NBA draft<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ball began high school at <a title=\"Chino Hills High School\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chino_Hills_High_School\">Chino Hills High School<\/a> in <a title=\"Chino Hills, California\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chino_Hills,_California\">Chino Hills, California<\/a>, where he won a state championship and achieved national success as a freshman with his older brothers <a title=\"Lonzo Ball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lonzo_Ball\">Lonzo<\/a> and <a title=\"LiAngelo Ball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/LiAngelo_Ball\">LiAngelo<\/a>. Before his junior season, a coaching dispute prompted him to leave Chino Hills and sign with Lithuanian professional team <a title=\"BC Prienai\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BC_Prienai\">Prienai<\/a>. In 2018, he played in the <a title=\"Junior Basketball Association\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Junior_Basketball_Association\">Junior Basketball Association<\/a> (JBA), a league created by his father, before returning to high school as a senior with SPIRE Academy in <a title=\"Geneva, Ohio\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Geneva,_Ohio\">Geneva, Ohio<\/a>. A former <a title=\"UCLA Bruins men's basketball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/UCLA_Bruins_men%27s_basketball\">UCLA<\/a> commit, he was a five-star <a title=\"College recruiting\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/College_recruiting\">recruit<\/a> but chose to forgo college basketball amid eligibility concerns and play in Australia for the <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"The Hawks (NBL)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Hawks_(NBL)\">Illawarra Hawks<\/a> of the <a title=\"National Basketball League (Australia)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Basketball_League_(Australia)\">National Basketball League<\/a> (NBL) in 2019, winning <a title=\"NBL Rookie of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBL_Rookie_of_the_Year_Award\">NBL Rookie of the Year<\/a>. He was selected by the Hornets with the third overall pick in the <a title=\"2020 NBA draft\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2020_NBA_draft\">2020 NBA draft<\/a> and was named the <a title=\"NBA Rookie of the Year Award\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/NBA_Rookie_of_the_Year_Award\">NBA Rookie of the Year<\/a> in 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ball and his brothers have attracted national attention since playing together in high school. His father, <a title=\"LaVar Ball\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/LaVar_Ball\">LaVar<\/a>, also grew into a <a title=\"Celebrity\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Celebrity\">media personality<\/a> in 2017. Ball has a signature shoe by his father&#8217;s company, <a title=\"Big Baller Brand\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Big_Baller_Brand\">Big Baller Brand<\/a>, and a role on his family&#8217;s <a title=\"Facebook Watch\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Facebook_Watch\">Facebook Watch<\/a> reality show <i><a title=\"Ball in the Family\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ball_in_the_Family\">Ball in the Family<\/a><\/i>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"panel-pane pane-node-links link-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"pane-content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"panel-pane pane-etowah-story-pane-tags\">\n<div class=\"pane-content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"region region-footer\">\n<div id=\"block-panels-mini-mini-panel-footer\" class=\"block block-panels-mini\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<footer id=\"footer\" class=\"footer panel-display etowah-footer clearfix etowah-footer\" role=\"footer\">\n<div class=\"footer-top\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"custom-page-ad_bottom\">\n<div class=\"panel-pane pane-fieldable-panels-pane pane-uuid-846c1291-c062-11e3-8a33-0800200c9a66 pane-bundle-etowah-promo\">\n<div class=\"fieldable-panels-pane\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-846c1291-c062-11e3-8a33-0800200c9a66\" class=\"gpt_container banner-ad banner-ad__right\" data-section=\"story_article\" data-pos-one=\"bottom_right\" data-pos-two=\"\" data-breakpoint=\"desktop_1024px\" data-enabled=\"true\">\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LaMelo Ball is the real deal LaMelo Ball was electric in all phases of the game in his 2021-22 debut. Then it happened for the second time in a row, The Hornets get the job done in spades, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.The Hornets rallied past the Pacers 123-122 behind LaMelo Ball. He hit 11 of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2405,330,11,8,1314,2432,1456,1156,13,2404,2406,14,106,104,187,1,7,9,10],"tags":[4813,4814,3328,4303],"class_list":["post-22798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-basketball-sports","category-business","category-entertainment","category-global-business-entrepreneurs","category-global-gamers","category-global-news-updates-and-more","category-global-sports","category-health","category-high-school-sports","category-mbs-hss","category-most-commented","category-nba-sports-news","category-ncaa","category-ncaa-basketball","category-news","category-sports","category-us","category-world","tag-2001-age-20-anaheim","tag-california-nationality-american-listed-height-6-ft-7-in-2-01-m-listed-weight-180-lb-82-kg-career-information-high-school-chino-hills-chino-hills","tag-california-spire-academy-geneva","tag-lamelo-balllamelo-ball-illawarra-hawks-2-cropped-jpg-ball-with-the-illawarra-hawks-in-2019-no-2-charlotte-hornets-position-point-guard-league-nba-personal-information-born-august-22","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22798\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}