After a report on Thursday indicated that LaMelo Ball can be open to a commerce, the Charlotte Hornets level guard responded on social media by posting a clown emoji.
Throughout a media session on Friday, Ball expanded on his response, telling reporters that he “loves being right here” and explaining why he felt the necessity to reply to the commerce rumor, as Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer relays.
“It didn’t come from me,” Ball mentioned. “The supply wasn’t me, so it’s false information. Bought to allow them to know. I actually don’t like commenting on stuff, but it surely bought too huge. … It was [spreading] a lot, they have been making headlines. Bleacher Report and this and that. So I didn’t need it to maintain happening.”
Head coach Charles Lee was happy to listen to his star level guard publicly affirm his dedication to Charlotte.
“I’m glad to listen to what he needed to say as a result of I might echo numerous identical issues,” Lee mentioned, per Boone. “Our relationship, our skill to have communication between myself, Melo and (president of basketball operations) Jeff (Peterson), it’s actually scorching. And I believe that he’s at all times communicated to us. He desires to construct this factor with us. He understands what it’s going to take to attempt to win and who we’d like within the constructing and stuff. So I believe that he’s simply dedicated to Charlotte. He’s talked about how a lot he loves the town and the followers and that’s all I ever hear and that’s all.”
The Hornets’ LaMelo Ball period hasn’t gone nicely
Since Ball arrived in Charlotte in 2020, the group hasn’t made the playoffs and has posted only one successful season (43-39 in 2021-22). The Hornets are coming off a 19-63 efficiency, their worst in 20 years, and are off to a sluggish begin this fall, with 4 wins of their first 15 video games.
Ball’s damage historical past has performed an element in Charlotte’s struggles. Suffering from ankle accidents, amongst different well being points, he has appeared in 36, 22, and 47 regular-season video games throughout the previous three years and has missed six contests this month. Nevertheless, he has performed at an All-Star degree when wholesome, and the Hornets have really been fairly strong when he’s on the courtroom in 2025/26, with a +4.2 net rating in 282 minutes.
It’s sufficient for Ball to insist he nonetheless believes within the Hornets’ skill to show issues round.
“We’re in some downs proper now, however we’re positively going to go up,” he mentioned on Friday. “I’m nonetheless assured on this complete group and everyone right here.”
