Hornets All-Star LaMelo Ball proves he belongs among the NBA’s best

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball proved that he belongs among the NBA’s best players at the All-Star Game

Throughout the Charlotte Hornets franchise history, there have been a handful of all-stars that have come and gone, but arguably none have gained as much publicity, fame and star potential as point guard LaMelo Ball has.

At just 20-years-old, Ball has made an immediate impact with the Hornets since being drafted third overall in 2020, and on Sunday night, he became the fourth-youngest NBA player ever to suit up in an All-Star Game.

Playing for Team Durant, Ball made the most of his 23 minutes playing on one of the NBA’s biggest stages and proved once again that Charlotte has a superstar in the making.

Even though Ball’s team lost to Team LeBron, he finished the game with 18 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals, including a few impressive highlight reels.

The performance was easily the best all-star debut by a Charlotte player and was the second-most points scored in the game by a Hornet since Glen Rice scored 26 in 1997 when he was named the MVP.

Ball looked confident, played hard when he could have easily just gone through the motions and ultimately fit right in with the league’s best players.

In crunch time in the fourth quarter, Ball was on the floor to help close out the game.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid led Ball’s team with 36 points, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker was second with 20 and Ball was the third leading scorer.

Stephen Curry might have been the story of the game with his unreal 16 3-pointers to finish with 50 points en route to the MVP award, but Ball was a storyline, which is something that people outside of Charlotte wouldn’t have even considered before the game.

If non-Hornets fans only knew Ball as LaVar Ball’s “reality TV” son and Lonzo Ball’s brother, they now know that he’s a legit star and is on the way to being one of the league’s marquee players.

And just like he’s been since entering the league, Ball remained calm, cool and collected after the game.

“It was amazing,” Ball said. “I feel blessed. It was just a great experience.”

Ball will be back on this stage hopefully many more times, and with his style of play, he could even be a future MVP of the game.

On a night revolved around the legends of the game, Charlotte fans can sit back and know that right now, they have a guy on their team with a bright, bright future.