History was made as LaMelo Ball, the highly anticipated NBA prospect, recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists on Saturday night to become the youngest player ever to record a triple-double. He broke the previous record by 177 days.
LaMelo could have broken the record two nights before when the Charlotte Hornets beat the New Orleans Pelicans, where he recorded 12 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists against his brother Lonzo’s team. It’s safe to say the basketball community is left astonished.
Check out Lebron’s reaction to the record-breaking achievement:
LaMelo’s basketball background
LaMelo comes from a basketball family. His oldest brother Lonzo plays for the New Orleans Pelicans and Liangelo is currently a free agent, having been waived by the Detroit Pistons prior to the start of the 2020-21 season. The Ball family has been put under the spotlight on numerous occasions in the past mostly due to his brazen father, Lavar Ball, and the claims that he has made about the careers of himself and his sons.
The rookie doesn’t seem too distracted by all the media attention, however, as he’s been accustomed to it since 2017 when he was a freshman in high school. On average, Ball is putting up 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He has come off the bench for all nine games this season.
Have the Hornets picked up a superstar in the making?
The Hornets will be pleased to see that their 1st round pick is finding remarkable success on the court so early into his rookie season. While it’s too early to say for certain that LaMelo has what it takes to become a superstar, the signs are there for all to see that this is a player worth keeping an eye on for the future.
LaMelo is unusual for the point guard position due to his towering height of 6’8”. The average height for point guards is 6’2”. For those unaccustomed to basketball, point guards are usually shorter than average NBA players because it makes them better dribblers. The fact that LaMelo is shooting way above the average height for his position and still finding remarkable success proves him to be an outlier that the basketball community cannot wait to see fully develop.
Head coach for the Charlotte Hornets, James Borrego, is especially impressed with his team’s new signing. Borrego remarks that LaMelo doesn’t play with the usual nerves that come with the high expectations of a player’s inaugural season, rather he plays as if he’s been in the league for years.
