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The Ball family is infamous in the NBA for stirring up media attention. Though most of the time it is LaVar Ball who tends to be outspoken and attracting the limelight, today the youngest member of the Ball family, LaMelo is the one creating all the buzz.
LaMelo Ball who is just 18-years-old is currently preparing in Australia for the 2020 NBA Draft. Things are looking particularly good for the 18-year-old who some expect to be the No. 1 overall pick next year. His brother Lonzo Ball, who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans was the second-overall pick in the 2017 draft.
This week, Bleacher Report detailed an encounter between former NBA guard Aaron Brooks and LaMelo Ball. Brooks told LaMelo, “your brother is really good,” to which LaMelo stared at him and confidently replied, “I’m better than him.”
LaMelo Ball
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LaMelo Ball of the Illawarra Hawks (Getty)
LaMelo doesn’t live a typical teenage life, as his time appears fully dedicated to basketball. According to the New York Post, LaVar took his youngest son out of high school in California in 2018, and he went to play professionally in Lithuania. They then moved to Australia this season to prepare for the 2020 draft. Though some may think that LaVar is overbearing and excessive, LaMelo defended his father’s decisions.
“It gets attached to us. I mean, at the end of the day, that’s my dad. I know him. He knows me. That’s always going to be a bond,” LaMelo said about LaVar Ball. “I just play basketball. Whatever he say, he say.”
Growing up in such a famous basketball family comes with a lot of pressure, especially with a father like LaVar. Per Yahoo Sports, LaMelo said that he is often misunderstood.
“People don’t look at you like you’re human. People look at you like a dollar sign. People don’t know me, know me as a person. They don’t know what I’ve been through,” LaMelo told Fader.
Lonzo Ball
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Lonzo Ball #2 of the New Orleans Pelicans (Getty)
Lonzo Ball is the eldest of the Ball brothers. He was the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2019, Lonzo was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the blockbuster deal that brought Anthony Davis to the Lakers.
Per USA Today Sports, Ball claimed that he found out about the trade via Twitter.
“No, I found out on Twitter. We was in the car. We had just left my grandfather’s house on the way to (brother LaMelo’s) Drew League game,” Ball said. “That’s how we found out. … I don’t know everybody’s situation, but that’s how we all found out.”
Though the trade was a shock to Ball, he told Bleacher Report that the transition was easy.
“It’s been pretty easy,” Ball told NBA.com’s Jim Eichenhofer. “The coaches are great, my teammates are cool and people in town, they love us. So I’m here just trying to do my part.”
Unfortunately, Lonzo Ball has missed the last five games with the Pelicans after suffering a groin strain.
The Ball family may be a little overconfident at times, but the family does have the talent to support their statements. After Brooks’ interaction with LaMelo, he was highly impressed by the teenager. The New York Post detailed that he said, “the stuff I see is NBA stuff. His IQ is amazing,” added Brooks, who played 10 years in the NBA with seven teams. “There’s no doubt about it. He’s ready for the NBA. His ceiling is so high.”
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