The Charlotte Hornets have finally made Lavar Ball’s dream a reality. The Hornets are signing the middle Ball brother to a one year non guaranteed contract. This has been a long time coming for Ball, as he has been looking for years to get his big break in the league. The same league where both of his brothers have found success.
Liangelo has definitely had the hardest road to the NBA of all three of the famous Ball brothers. The Ball brothers first burst onto the scene in 2016, when their Chino Hills highschool basketball team went undefeated. The team was led by all three Ball brothers and were easily the best High School basketball team in the country that year.At the time, their father Lavar Ball claimed that one day all three of his boys would be dominating the NBA together just as they were dominating at Chino Hills High School.
Due to Lavar’s loud personality and the spectacular play of the brothers on the court, the Ball family became a household name. Lonzo Ball is the oldest and the first to make it into the NBA, first getting drafted into the Los Angeles Lakers and later playing for the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls. Liangelo was supposed to follow in his older brother’s footsteps a year after but ran into legal trouble in China that derailed the steady track he was on up until that point. Lamelo would be the next of the brothers to make it to the league, being drafted to the Charlotte Hornets in the 2020 NBA draft. Lamelo quickly rose to become one of the most exciting young prospects that the league has currently. As a six foot seven point guard, Lamelo has great mobility for his size and can shoot and pass at an exceptional level for a young player. Lonzo and Lamelo have both been in the league for a few years now and finally their middle brother is being given a shot.
Liangelo will be Joining a Charlotte Hornets team that will feature his younger brother as the franchise cornerstone going forward. Due to Liangelo being an unproven prospect at the professional level, Hornets fans should not expect to see him get much playing time. It is gonna be tough for an unproven guy to make a steady rotation spot with the established players the team has now, especially at the guard positions. Liangelo is likely to see some playing time in the preseason as the Hornets will want to see what they have during times where they will not be playing their important players.
The non-guaranteed nature of his contract means the Hornets can also cut him if they see fit, meaning his NBA journey could end as quickly as it began. Liangelo has finally been given his big break, and has a real shot to prove he can play in the NBA. The Hornets look to improve upon their young core that excited fans last season, now it’s just a question if Liangelo Ball will be apart of that or not.