He was selected by the Hornets with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2021.īall and his brothers have attracted national attention since playing together in high school. Ball during his time at Australia with the NBL Illawarra Hawks went from a projected 2nd round pick potential undraftee to a potential first pick candidate and an eventual top three pick. Ball was a five-star recruit but chose to forgo college basketball amid eligibility concerns and play in Australia for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2019, winning NBL Rookie of the Year. Formerly committed to UCLA, Ball was not seen as a serious NBA prospect anymore at the time due to him not getting a chance to play with Preinai dipping his reputation. 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. Before his junior season, a coaching dispute prompted him to leave Chino Hills and sign with Lithuanian professional team Prienai.

He was selected by the Hornets with the third overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft.īall began high school at Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California, where he won a state championship and achieved national success as a freshman with his older brothers Lonzo and LiAngelo.

LaMelo LaFrance Ball (born August 22, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

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