During the earlier parts of the season, it looked like LaMelo Ball was a shoo-in for the 2025 All-Star Game. He has emerged as one of the league's best scorers, and his exciting play style would undoubtedly be perfect for the contest.
However, injuries and the Charlotte Hornets racking up plenty of losses may have affected Ball's bid to be the franchise's first All-Star starter since Kemba Walker, who achieved the feat in 2019. Despite leading all Eastern Conference guards in fan votes, disrespect from the media and the lack of votes from coaches left him out of the midseason showcase altogether.
He might still have an opportunity to join the All-Star Game as a replacement, though, as Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will reportedly miss the festivities because of a strained calf.
LaMelo Ball should get a call from the league
Antetokounmpo was voted in as a starter for the ninth straight time and chosen fourth overall in the All-Star Draft by Charles Barkley. He would have played alongside Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, Pascal Siakam, Alperen Sengun, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Donovan Mitchell.
Team Chuck could have been very well named Team World, as every non-American All-Star is in the squad. Another worthy thing of note with that group is that only Gilgeous-Alexander and Mitchell are the only guards.
Ball looks like a perfect fit with Team Chuck, for sure. And he deserves to be named as Antetokounmpo's replacement.
The 23-year-old playmaker's numbers should be enough grounds for Adam Silver to give him the nod. He is currently averaging 28.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per contest this season.
The only knocks on his All-Star candidacy are his inefficient scoring (41.6 percent from the field), which is arguably the result of having an injury-ravaged supporting cast around him, and sitting out 17 matches so far. Missing the Hornets' tiff versus the Detroit Pistons on Sunday has already made Ball ineligible for any major end-of-year awards.
Still, he is worthy of playing at Chase Center on Feb. 16, given how well he has played in the 2024-25 campaign. Charlotte's standing shouldn't be the reason he gets snubbed again, as the team's record is 1-16 without him. If Ball hasn't had to be sidelined a lot, the Hornets would likely be higher in the standings.
It remains to be seen if Silver will do the right thing and announce Ball as an All-Star injury replacement. If that doesn't turn out to be the case, we can chalk that one up to the list of many instances that the Hornets have been disrespected by the league this season.