LaMelo Ball
Born 2001 · Age 24
American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets, 3rd overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, 2021 NBA Rookie of the Year and 2022 NBA All-Star.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Anaheim, California
LaMelo LaFrance Ball was born to LaVar and Tina Ball in Anaheim, California.
Started playing basketball with older brothers
Trained by his father LaVar from the time he could walk; began playing organized basketball with his brothers at age four.
Played flag football but focused on basketball
At age five LaMelo played flag football with his brothers but continued focusing on basketball.
Joined Big Ballers VXT AAU team
While in 7th grade LaMelo began playing on Big Ballers VXT, a 17-and-under AAU team launched and coached by his parents.
High school debut for Chino Hills
Began freshman season at Chino Hills High School; in his first game as a starter he scored 27 points.
Verbally committed to UCLA (age 13)
Verbally committed to play college basketball at UCLA at age 13 (reported Aug 1, 2015).
Big Baller Brand founded (family apparel company)
Big Baller Brand, the Ball family's sports apparel company, was launched (text references 2016 launch).
MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year (shared)
Averaged 16.4 points and 3.8 assists per game as a freshman and shared MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year honors with Onyeka Okongwu.
CIF Open Division state championship with Chino Hills
Helped Chino Hills win the CIF Open Division state championship (14 points in title game), team finished 35–0 and claimed a national title.
CIF Southern Section Open Division title
Scored 26 points in a win over Sierra Canyon School for the CIF Southern Section Open Division title.
Half-court shot two seconds into a game
Made a half-court shot two seconds into a game that drew national headlines.
First high school loss (Oak Hill Academy)
Suffered his first high school loss despite scoring a game-high 36; Oak Hill Academy ended Chino Hills' 60-game win streak.
Scored 92 points in a high school game
Scored 92 points in a win over Los Osos High School — second-most single-game points in California high school history.
Appeared on WWE Raw segment with family
Appeared on WWE Raw (June 26, 2017) with family; WWE later apologized for LaMelo's language on the segment.
AAU matchup vs. Zion Williamson
Featured in a nationally covered AAU showdown against five-star recruit Zion Williamson.
Appeared on 'Ball in the Family' reality show
Had a role on the family's Facebook Watch reality series 'Ball in the Family' which launched in August 2017.
Melo Ball 1 (MB1) signature shoe released
Big Baller Brand released LaMelo's signature shoe, the Melo Ball 1 (MB1); he became the youngest athlete to have a signature shoe.
Subject of rap single 'Melo Ball 1' by Lonzo
Featured in a rap single titled 'Melo Ball 1' released by his brother Lonzo on Sep 8, 2017.
Pulled from Chino Hills; began homeschooling
LaVar Ball pulled LaMelo from Chino Hills amid a coaching dispute; LaMelo was homeschooled prior to professional move.
Signed with agent Harrison Gaines
Signed with agent Harrison Gaines and announced intent to play professionally overseas alongside brother LiAngelo.
Signed with Prienai (Lithuania) with LiAngelo
Signed a professional contract with BC Prienai (Vytautas) of the Lithuanian Basketball League; reported as the youngest American to sign a pro contract.
Won JBA championship and named JBA All-Star
Led Los Angeles Ballers to the JBA championship (2018) and was named a JBA All-Star and part of JBA USA select team for international tour.
Averaged triple-double in JBA regular season
Over eight regular season JBA games he averaged a triple-double: 39.6 points, 14.6 rebounds and 11.5 assists per game.
Named JBA All-Star (2018)
Was named to the JBA All-Star Game during his JBA season (2018).
Professional debut for Prienai
Made his professional debut in the LKL, going scoreless in five minutes (Jan 13, 2018).
Suffered leg injury in exhibition
In an exhibition late February he suffered a leg injury that sidelined him about a month.
Season-high 19 points vs Žalgiris
Scored a season-high 19 points (4 3-pointers, 6 assists) in an LKL loss to Žalgiris (Feb 4, 2018).
Left Prienai and returned to U.S.
LaMelo and his family left Prienai (April 25, 2018), citing lack of playing time and disputes with coaching staff.
Signed with Los Angeles Ballers (JBA)
Signed with the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league founded by his father; touted as the JBA's 'marquee player.'
JBA debut triple-double (40/16/10)
In his JBA debut he posted a 40-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist triple-double (June 21, 2018).
Ejected from JBA exhibition tour after altercation
Ejected in an exhibition game (Oct 31, 2018) during the JBA international tour after slapping an opposing player.
Joined SPIRE Institute and Academy
Returned to high school basketball at SPIRE Institute (Geneva, Ohio) which competes outside state association rules, enabling him to play despite pro experience.
Declared ineligible for McDonald's All-American Game
Ruled ineligible for the 2019 McDonald's All-American Game due to prior professional experience.
SPIRE debut: 20 pts, 13 ast, 5 reb
Debuted for SPIRE Institute with 20 points, 13 assists and 5 rebounds in a win over The Hill School (Nov 10, 2018).
Recorded consecutive triple-doubles in NBL
Followed with another triple-double in his next game; became fourth player in league history with consecutive triple-doubles under 40-minute format.
Signed with Illawarra Hawks (NBL Next Stars)
Signed a two-year contract (with NBA out clauses) to join the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian NBL under the 'Next Stars' program (June 17, 2019).
Named Drew League 'Leader of the New School' (rookie honor)
After playing at the Drew League, he was named 'Leader of the New School' honoring the league's top rookie (Aug 2019).
Strong preseason showing at NBL Blitz
Recorded 19 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists in an NBL Blitz preseason win over Perth Wildcats (late Sep 2019).
NBL regular-season debut
In his first NBL regular season game, tallied 12 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists (Oct 6, 2019).
Youngest NBL triple-double (32/11/13)
Recorded 32 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in OT vs Cairns Taipans — became youngest NBL player to record a triple-double (Nov 25, 2019).
Bruised foot; sidelined
Suffered a foot bruise in practice and was expected to miss about four weeks (Dec 8, 2019).
Draft history with brother: first brothers both drafted top 3
LaMelo (3rd overall, 2020) and his brother Lonzo (2nd overall, 2017) became the first set of brothers to both be drafted in the top 3.
Sat out remainder of NBL season
While still sidelined, decided to sit out for remainder of the NBL season (Jan 16, 2020) to prepare for NBA draft process.
Parted ways with Illawarra Hawks
Parted ways with the Hawks (Jan 28, 2020) to return to the United States and prepare for the 2020 NBA draft.
NBL Rookie of the Year
Named 2019–20 NBL Rookie of the Year over Kouat Noi by five votes (Feb 16, 2020).
Selected 3rd overall in 2020 NBA Draft
Selected with the 3rd overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2020 NBA draft (Nov 18, 2020).
NBA debut
Made his NBA debut for the Charlotte Hornets (Dec 23, 2020): scoreless in 16 minutes with 1 rebound, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Signed with Puma (endorsement)
LaMelo Ball signed with Puma as an endorsement partner (contract reportedly announced in 2021).
Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (Dec/Jan)
Awarded Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for his play spanning December and January (2020–21 season).
Named NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (February)
Named Rookie of the Month again for February after strong play in his first NBA season.
NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie First Team
After the 2020–21 season (his rookie year) Ball was voted the NBA Rookie of the Year and named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
First NBA game against brother Lonzo (regulation)
Played his first regulation game against his brother Lonzo (Jan 8, 2021), rallying Charlotte from an 18-point deficit.
Youngest NBA triple-double in history (at the time)
Recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists vs Atlanta Hawks (Jan 9, 2021) at 19 years and 140 days — youngest at the time to post a triple-double.
Career-high (then) 27 points
Recorded a then-career-high 27 points along with 5 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals vs the Milwaukee Bucks (Jan 30, 2021).
First career NBA start
Made the first start of his NBA career in a win over the Miami Heat (Feb 1, 2021), finishing with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists.
Then-career-high 34 points; youngest Hornets 30-point game
Scored a then career-high 34 points vs Utah Jazz (Feb 5, 2021); became the youngest player in Hornets franchise history to record a 30-point game.
Fractured bone in right wrist
Suffered a fractured bone in his right wrist in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and was listed out indefinitely (Mar 21, 2021).
Cleared to resume basketball activities
Cleared to resume basketball activities after wrist injury (Apr 19, 2021).
Returned from injury
Returned from injury to play May 1, 2021, recording 11 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists vs Detroit Pistons.
2021–22 season opener: 31 points & 7 three-pointers
In the Hornets' 2021–22 season opener he scored 31 points, hit seven 3-pointers, and added 9 rebounds and 7 assists.
Career-high 14 assists
Recorded a then career-high 14 assists in a win over the Washington Wizards (Nov 17, 2021).
Then career-high 36 points
Scored a then career-high 36 points with 9 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in a loss to the Bucks (Dec 1, 2021).
Changed jersey number from 2 to 1
Ahead of the 2022–23 season Ball switched his jersey number with the Hornets from #2 to #1.
Then career-high 38 points vs Celtics
Recorded a then career-high 38 points with 9 assists and 5 rebounds in a loss to the Boston Celtics (Feb 2, 2022).
Named to 2022 NBA All-Star Game
Named to his first NBA All-Star Game in 2022 as an injury replacement for Kevin Durant (Feb 7, 2022).
30 points and career-high-tying 15 assists
Recorded 30 points, 6 rebounds and a career-high-tying 15 assists in a 144–138 win over the Atlanta Hawks (Feb 13, 2023).
Reached 1,000 points/1,000 rebounds/1,000 assists (second-youngest)
Recorded a 28-10-12 line and became the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in his career (Feb 15, 2023).
Fractured right ankle (non-contact)
Suffered a non-contact right ankle injury that was later diagnosed as a fracture; ruled out indefinitely (Feb 27, 2023).
Underwent season-ending ankle surgery
Successfully underwent surgery to address the fractured ankle (Mar 1, 2023) and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Signed contract extension with Charlotte Hornets
Signed a contract extension with the Hornets (reported July 6, 2023). The text does not list dollar amount; extension reported by Hornets sources.
30-13-10 triple-double vs Mavericks
Recorded a triple-double with 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks (Nov 5, 2023).
Follow-up 44-point game
Scored 44 points in his next game (after 50-point night) in a 95–84 loss to the Orlando Magic (date reported shortly after Nov 23, 2024).
Lawsuit filed alleging hit-and-run with child
Tamaria McRae filed a lawsuit (May 21, 2024) against Ball and the Charlotte Hornets alleging Ball hit her son with his car while exiting Spectrum Center after a fan event in early October 2023; seeking over $25,000.
2024–25 season opener: 34 points, 11 assists
In the Hornets' season-opening game Ball recorded 34 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists (Oct 23, 2024); became the first Hornets player with 30+ points and 10+ assists in a season opener.
Fined $100,000 by NBA for offensive language
In November 2024 the NBA fined Ball $100,000 for using the phrase 'no homo' in a post-game interview; NBA labeled the language offensive and derogatory.
Career-high 50 points vs Milwaukee Bucks
Scored a career-high 50 points with 10 assists (Nov 23, 2024) in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks; became the third-youngest player in NBA history to score 50.
Estimated net worth note
Public sources indicate Ball has earned at least $70,743,275 in professional basketball earnings to date; estimated personal net worth (after taxes/expenses) is roughly $50M (estimate).
Missed rest of season for minor procedures
Hornets announced Ball would miss the rest of the season to undergo two minor procedures addressing ankle and wrist issues (Mar 28, 2025).
Underwent successful wrist and ankle surgeries
Hornets announced (Apr 2, 2025) Ball had successful surgeries on his right wrist and right ankle.
Key Achievement Ages
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