The ball brothers gained a lot of media attention and buzz especially because of their father Lavar Ball doing a great job of marketing the brothers along with his big baller brand. Crazy statements like he would beat Michael Jordan in a 1 on 1 matchup and that Lonzo his eldest son is better than LeBron were headlines that prominent sports shows like the First Take on ESPN and Undisputed on Fox couldn’t help but talk about.
There was a lot of criticism against Lavar saying that he was pressurizing his children by making comparisons with the greats in the game so early in their career. But the one ball brother that has not disappointed and lived up to the hype Lavar generated is Lamelo Ball.
Lamelo was the 3rd pick in the 2021 draft and the 2021 rookie of the year. His incredible basketball IQ and beautiful dimes to set up teammates brought back life to a mediocre charlotte team. Due to the injuries to many of the All-Stars, Lamelo has become a part of the All-star team this year and will be the youngest All-Star since LeBron James in 2005. He will be the 4th youngest All-Star in the history of the NBA under Magic, Kobe and LeBron.
There is no question that Lamelo deserves the spot and his game is meant to be on display at the All-Star game. With the amazing Kobe Bryant all-star MVP award up for grabs, it is a possibility that this All-star game will be a lot more competitive with the stars all battling to be the first ones to win it. While the sophomore might not get a lot of playing time, the achievement of being one of the youngest All-Stars in the history of the game is worth celebrating.
Lamelo is averaging 19.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game and has led the hornets to the 9 seed along with his teammate miles bridges. There was a lot of debate in media circles as to who should and shouldn’t be an All-Star but 3 names that came up were Lamelo, miles bridges and Dejounte Murray from the spurs. The only reason others were given the nod over these players was because of their team record and not the individual numbers they were putting up. Due to the injuries, Dejounte Murray has made it as an All-Star as well and there is a chance that miles bridges can make it too if a player gets injured or chooses not to play. All in all the All-Star game this year will definitely be exciting and with players like Lamelo ball being added to the mix, it will only get better.
