I scored 92 points in high school, now I’m matching Kobe Bryant record thanks to dad who said he could beat Michael Jordan
LaMelo Ball is having a career-year. After missing the vast majority of the Charlotte Hornets’ past two seasons through injury, the youngest Ball brother is scoring — and attempting to score — at a historic clip. LaMelo is proving to be a bona fide NBA superstarGetty The 23-year-old dropped a career-high 50 points in the Hornet’s 125-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks recently, becoming only the ninth player in NBA history to post a stat line of 50-plus points, five-plus rebounds, ten-plus assists and five-plus 3s in the same game. He followed that up with a 44-point showing in an 84-95 loss to the Orlando Magic. Ball hit 17 of his 30 shot attempts against the Magic, including 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, which saw him etch his name in the record books as the second-fastest player ever to reach 600 career threes. He did it in 201 games, trailing only marksman Duncan Robinson (184) of the Miami Heat — the same team Ball scored 32 points on in a 94-98 loss on Wednesday. Ball’s scoring is off the charts this season. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.4) is averaging more points per game than Ball (31.1) in the entire Association, although LaMelo has scored more total points than any other player this season (527), including his Greek counterpart (518). The lanky point guard has also attempted a league-high 24.9 shot attempts per game this season — an average of 2.3 more per game than second-placed Luka Doncic. That’s Kobe Bryant and James Harden levels of attempts. In fact, the last time a player reportedly put up 24 field goal attempts per game for a whole season was Harden, back in the 2018-19 season, when he averaged six more points than Ball. Only the late, great Bryant has averaged more than 25 field goal attempts per game in a season, putting up a whopping 27.2 shots per contest back in 2005-06 while averaging 35.4 points. Bryant is one of the league’s greatest-ever scorersGetty Per NBA.com, Ball’s 38.9% usage rate is not only the highest in the league this season, it’s also on pace to be the third highest ever, behind MVP Russell Westbrook and ’18-19 Harden. However, he is only shooting 43 percent from the field, the eighth-lowest mark in the league of anyone taking at least 15 shots per game, although he is making 4.5 threes on a league-best 12.7 attempts per game. For better or worse, Ball is the Hornets’ offense. While that may say a lot about his willingness to carry so much of the offensive load on his shoulders at such a tender age, it’s done little to contribute to winning basketball. Charlotte (6-12) are currently 12th out East, having dropped their last three and gone 3-7 over the previous ten. Ball is enjoying a historic season in terms of shooting and usage rateGetty Individually, at least, the 6ft 7in guard is having a standout season. Ball has a mind-bogglingly deep bag of offensive tricks — anyone who’s watched his career with any great intensity could tell you that — from dizzying dribble moves to patented one-legged 3-pointers and touch drives to the basket. Ball began high school at Chino Hills in California, where he won a state championship and achieved national success as a freshman with his older brothers Lonzo — now with the Chicago Bulls — and LiAngelo. As a sophomore in 2017, the younger Ball scored a Wilt Chamberlain-esque 92 points against Los Osos, putting up 51 points in the first three quarters and 41 in the fourth quarter. LaMelo took 61 shots in the lopsided 146-123 win, making 30 of 39 two-point attempts and 7-of-22 three-point attempts — hallmarks of the high-volume scorer he was flourishing to be. LaVar (left) founded the Big Baller Brand and saw eldest son Lonzo (left) drafted by Lakers No.2 overall in 2017 While undoubtedly a prodigious talent, Ball’s journey to the pros was unconventional to say the least. His outspoken father, LaVar Ball, pulled LaMelo out of Chino Hills for his final two years of high school to be homeschooled so he could focus on basketball. LaMelo then signed with Lithuanian professional team Prienai. In 2018, he played in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created by his father, before returning to high school as a senior with SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio. Ball was a five-star recruit and committed to UCLA, but chose to forgo college basketball and play in Australia for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2019. After impressing Down Under, LaMelo returned to the US to prepare for the 2020 NBA Draft. His atypical journey happened to coincide with his father’s own moment in the spotlight. LaVar became a divisive media personality in the mid to late 2010s, famous for founding the Big Baller Brand and inviting big shoe companies like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour to make a deal with him for the measly price of $3 billion. Outlandish comments were st
LaMelo Ball is having a career-year.
After missing the vast majority of the Charlotte Hornets’ past two seasons through injury, the youngest Ball brother is scoring — and attempting to score — at a historic clip.
The 23-year-old dropped a career-high 50 points in the Hornet’s 125-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks recently, becoming only the ninth player in NBA history to post a stat line of 50-plus points, five-plus rebounds, ten-plus assists and five-plus 3s in the same game.
He followed that up with a 44-point showing in an 84-95 loss to the Orlando Magic.
Ball hit 17 of his 30 shot attempts against the Magic, including 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, which saw him etch his name in the record books as the second-fastest player ever to reach 600 career threes.
He did it in 201 games, trailing only marksman Duncan Robinson (184) of the Miami Heat — the same team Ball scored 32 points on in a 94-98 loss on Wednesday.
Ball’s scoring is off the charts this season.
Only Giannis Antetokounmpo (32.4) is averaging more points per game than Ball (31.1) in the entire Association, although LaMelo has scored more total points than any other player this season (527), including his Greek counterpart (518).
The lanky point guard has also attempted a league-high 24.9 shot attempts per game this season — an average of 2.3 more per game than second-placed Luka Doncic.
That’s Kobe Bryant and James Harden levels of attempts.
In fact, the last time a player reportedly put up 24 field goal attempts per game for a whole season was Harden, back in the 2018-19 season, when he averaged six more points than Ball.
Only the late, great Bryant has averaged more than 25 field goal attempts per game in a season, putting up a whopping 27.2 shots per contest back in 2005-06 while averaging 35.4 points.
Per NBA.com, Ball’s 38.9% usage rate is not only the highest in the league this season, it’s also on pace to be the third highest ever, behind MVP Russell Westbrook and ’18-19 Harden.
However, he is only shooting 43 percent from the field, the eighth-lowest mark in the league of anyone taking at least 15 shots per game, although he is making 4.5 threes on a league-best 12.7 attempts per game.
For better or worse, Ball is the Hornets’ offense.
While that may say a lot about his willingness to carry so much of the offensive load on his shoulders at such a tender age, it’s done little to contribute to winning basketball.
Charlotte (6-12) are currently 12th out East, having dropped their last three and gone 3-7 over the previous ten.
Individually, at least, the 6ft 7in guard is having a standout season.
Ball has a mind-bogglingly deep bag of offensive tricks — anyone who’s watched his career with any great intensity could tell you that — from dizzying dribble moves to patented one-legged 3-pointers and touch drives to the basket.
Ball began high school at Chino Hills in California, where he won a state championship and achieved national success as a freshman with his older brothers Lonzo — now with the Chicago Bulls — and LiAngelo.
As a sophomore in 2017, the younger Ball scored a Wilt Chamberlain-esque 92 points against Los Osos, putting up 51 points in the first three quarters and 41 in the fourth quarter.
LaMelo took 61 shots in the lopsided 146-123 win, making 30 of 39 two-point attempts and 7-of-22 three-point attempts — hallmarks of the high-volume scorer he was flourishing to be.
While undoubtedly a prodigious talent, Ball’s journey to the pros was unconventional to say the least.
His outspoken father, LaVar Ball, pulled LaMelo out of Chino Hills for his final two years of high school to be homeschooled so he could focus on basketball.
LaMelo then signed with Lithuanian professional team Prienai. In 2018, he played in the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league created by his father, before returning to high school as a senior with SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio.
Ball was a five-star recruit and committed to UCLA, but chose to forgo college basketball and play in Australia for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2019.
After impressing Down Under, LaMelo returned to the US to prepare for the 2020 NBA Draft.
His atypical journey happened to coincide with his father’s own moment in the spotlight.
LaVar became a divisive media personality in the mid to late 2010s, famous for founding the Big Baller Brand and inviting big shoe companies like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour to make a deal with him for the measly price of $3 billion.
Outlandish comments were standard. The elder Ball famously once said he could beat Michael Jordan (“Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one”), and claimed a teenage LaMelo was already better than Warriors great Steph Curry.
Fiery back-and-forth debates with Stephen A. Smith on national television became the norm. As did LaMelo’s appearance on his family’s Facebook Watch reality show, ‘Ball in the Family’.
At times, LaVar’s bullish and brash nature threatened to overshadow LaMelo’s obvious abilities.
Many a young star would have been swallowed up by the media furore during that whirlwind period, but not LaMelo, whose laser-like focus on basketball remained, ultimately attracting the attention of the Hornets who drafted with the third overall pick.
LaMelo went on to become the 2020–21 NBA Rookie of the Year in his debut season. He was also selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
He continued to ascend during his sophomore year, dropping a career-high 36 and then 38 points before being named to his first NBA All-Star Game as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant.
His 2022–23 NBA season started off on the same trajectory. Midway through the campaign, LaMelo became the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in his career, behind only LeBron James.
However, that buzz was soon tempered when he suffered his first major career injury, a fractured ankle that required surgery and subsequently ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Now, Ball has returned, buoyed by a big contract extension and part of a promising partnership with 2023 No. 2 pick Brandon Miller.
While niggling injuries, defense, and foul issues (his 4.7 personal fouls per game lead the league) have been a problem, there’s no denying Ball is a truly special offensive player who can create, shoot and facilitate at will.
LaMelo has emerged as a legitimate superstar in 2024 — one the ageing Los Angeles Lakers may even decide to pass the torch to once ‘King James’ eventually hangs up his jersey.
