The good ol days for the Charlotte Hornets are back! There hasn’t been this much NBA excitement in the Queen City of North Carolina since Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning ruled the court in the 1990s. But now the LaMelo Ball era is in full swing and the excitement has returned! Michael Jordan, the owner of the Hornets and the greatest NBA player of all time, drafted him in 2020 with the third overall pick.
So far he is playing like the savior and future of the team. Also, he’s the best pick this franchise has made since drafting Alonzo Mourning in 1992. They drafted Kobe Bryant in 1996, but obviously, he was traded to the Lakers.
The youngest Ball brother is the best prospect of the three. He just turned 20 in August and has the unique ability to be a game changer each night and the next all-time great Hornet superstar. He was rookie of the year (ROY) for the 2020-2021 season after playing in 51 games, averaging 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists per game, and shooting 43% from the floor. He was injured and wasn’t able to play from March 21 to May 1 and still was the best first year player in the league.
On January 9 he was the youngest player in the league to ever record a triple double at 19 years old and 140 days. Ball had 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 113-105 victory against the Atlanta Hawks. He was awarded rookie of the month honors in December, January, and February. On February 5 his spectacular season got even better when he became the youngest player in franchise history to score 30 points against the Utah Jazz.
Then last night, in the season opener for the 2021-2022 season against the Indiana Pacers, he led the team to victory after being down 23 points in the third quarter. He had 31 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists while matching his career-high with seven three-pointers. So a star has been born and LaMelo Mania has officially begun!!
Article by: Chris Steele, iHearts143Quotes Team member
