Late last season, there was a great moment in the final minutes of a matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans when LaMelo and Lonzo Ball went at it. With the Hornets trailing by two in the final minutes, LaMelo hounded his older brother and poked the ball away before the two sprinted and dove to try and secure possession.
After LaMelo’s Rookie of the Year campaign and Lonzo’s four-year, $85 million deal with the Chicago Bulls in free agency, it’s clear that won’t be the last battle between the two brothers. And depending on how things go this summer, there could be more Ball vs. Ball matchups in the future.
The middle brother of the trio, LiAngelo, is playing for the Hornets at Las Vegas Summer League. He made the most of that opportunity in his debut on Sunday, as he poured in five 3-pointers and finished with 16 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in 16 minutes. His five 3s were more than the rest of the team made combined (three).
LaVar Ball was sitting courtside in a hat that said “I told you so,” and was loving LiAngelo’s big performance. LaMelo was there as well, sitting with Hornets coach James Borrego and teammates Miles Bridges. The performance was one thing, but it had to mean even more to LiAngelo to be able to do it in front of his family.
After going undrafted in 2018, the closest LiAngelo has gotten to playing in the NBA is a practice player contract with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League and a training camp deal with the Detroit Pistons. Neither proved fruitful, however, and he still has a long way to go towards making a roster. If he keeps putting up performances like this, however, he just might earn himself a spot.
