Many have probably realized or been reminded that the Charlotte Hornets are the only franchise to have never played on Christmas Day. The odds of it changing depend on whether the team will finally start winning enough to become a playoff contender.
Another reason it can catch the fancy of the league office is that it finds a player who can drive in viewers in a similar way to the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
The good news is that the Hornets have a potential superstar in the making. LaMelo Ball has proven to be one of the league's best stars. The only thing holding him back is health, as injuries have stopped him from taking to the court more often than he and the team would like.
LaMelo Ball is one of the most-viewed NBA stars this season
Still, despite Ball's extended absence, a particular metric has shown how marketable he can be.
The NBA recently revealed the 10 most-viewed players so far in the 2024-25 campaign, and the Hornets star made a splash by placing fifth in the rankings with 237 million views. Interestingly, he is ahead of every other Eastern Conference player, including Giannis Antetokoumpo and Jayson Tatum. The other players Ball surpassed in the top 10 include Klay Thompson, Nikola Jokic, and Anthony Davis.
As impressive as Melo's number is, he still has a long way to go before he can catch up with those in front of him. In fourth place is Curry, who has more than 100 million viewers over him. The top three are the usual suspects: James (623 million), Ja Morant (538 million), and Victor Wembanyama (402 million).
Among the top 10, only three won't be playing on this year's Christmas Day slate. Ball is obviously one of them, with Morant and Antetokounmpo being the other two.
Only time will tell if the 2021 Rookie of the Year will be able to celebrate Christmas wearing a Hornets jersey. But if he continues to improve his play, he and the squad will increase their chances of eventually making their debut in one of the most-anticipated events of the NBA regular season.
Ball is already one of the most electric offensive dynamos in the sport, having displayed fancy finishing around the rim, footwork, and passing. This season, he has showcased his one-legged 3-pointer, which is probably one of the reasons people can't get enough of him on social media.
Aside from his offensive package, the 2022 All-Star kept turning heads with clutch performances before he went down with a strained calf. Hopefully, the injury won't impact his play through the remainder of the season.