LaMelo Ball has no shortage of believers, but his brother may have delivered the strongest endorsement yet on the eve of the Charlotte Hornets‘ biggest game of the season.
Speaking exclusively with Heavy while promoting his new TWIX partnership, LiAngelo Ball said he believes the Hornets star is “the best player in the league” and argued that LaMelo’s effortless style still gets misunderstood by people who mistake smoothness for a lack of seriousness. The timing gives the quote extra weight, with Charlotte set to host the Miami Heat on Tuesday in an East play-in game that will decide whether the Hornets keep their season alive.
LiAngelo Ball Says LaMelo’s Game Still Gets Misread
Asked what fans and critics still underrate most about LaMelo’s game, LiAngelo pointed to the way his brother moves through a game without looking rushed, even while pulling off difficult plays.
“People think his game is nonchalant or like think he’s not trying or something, but he has a smooth game,” LiAngelo told Heavy. “Like he’s been like that since a kid. Like his game come like naturally and smooth.”
LaMelo has long been one of the league’s most creative guards, but the style debate has followed him for years. Because he plays with flair and rarely looks sped up, some observers read that as casual. LiAngelo sees the opposite. He says the degree of difficulty is exactly what people miss.
“The stuff he’s doing is actually very difficult and hard,” LiAngelo said. “I feel like he’s hitting one-legged threes from half court, spin moves, out of bounds, throwing it up, swishing. It’s game like that. So, I feel like a lot of people just underestimate that part of it.”
GettyLaMelo Ball’s play style might look nonchalent to the casual viewer, but LiAngelo Ball swears it’s what makes him among the best players in the league.
LiAngelo Ball Goes Further: ‘He the Best Player in the League’
LiAngelo did not stop at saying LaMelo is misunderstood.
“I’m not just saying this because I’m his brother,” he said. “I do feel like he the best player in the league.”
That is obviously the kind of claim that will land somewhere between confidence and family-fueled hyperbole for a lot of NBA fans. But it also gives the story real juice ahead of a win-or-go-home game for Charlotte. It is the kind of quote that immediately tells fans where LiAngelo stands on LaMelo’s place in the league, and how strongly he believes the Hornets star can carry a team in a high-pressure moment.
LiAngelo Ball Says Hornets Can Win With LaMelo Leading the Way
When asked whether a contender can realistically be built around LaMelo, LiAngelo made it clear he has no doubts.
“Yeah, I feel like if you give Melo the keys like to the ship, he going to get the team right,” LiAngelo said. “He always been like that too. He a winner too first. So like you give him the right pieces, I feel like he’ll definitely take you there.”
That may be the line Hornets fans care about most beyond the headline-grabbing superlative. Charlotte’s challenge has never really been about whether LaMelo has star-level talent. It has been whether the franchise can put enough of the right structure, health and roster support around him to turn flashes into sustained postseason relevance.
Tuesday’s game against Miami is not a referendum on his career, but it is another meaningful checkpoint for a player the franchise has clearly built around.
GettyLaMelo Ball could be the cornerstone for an NBA franchise, if he’s not already.
Why the Quote Lands Differently Before Heat vs. Hornets
LiAngelo’s comments carry some extra weight because they come from someone who has seen LaMelo’s game up close for years, long before the NBA spotlight and long before every move got picked apart on social media.
He framed his brother’s style as something that has always looked natural, not something that only appears loose or improvisational now. From his perspective, that easy-looking rhythm is not a sign LaMelo is drifting through games. It is the craft. It is the skill. And it is exactly why he thinks people still undersell how hard those plays actually are.
The quote will naturally get attention because of how big it is. Calling your brother the best player in the league is not subtle. But the more useful takeaway for Charlotte is the reasoning behind it. LiAngelo is not just praising LaMelo in vague terms. He is saying the things that look effortless are often the hardest parts of his game, and that if the Hornets continue to put the right pieces around him, he believes winning at a much higher level can follow.
With Miami coming to Charlotte for a season-on-the-line matchup Tuesday, that is about as clear a statement of belief as Hornets fans could ask for.
LaMelo Ball is ‘Best Player in the League,’ According to LiAngelo [EXCLUSIVE]