Charlotte Hornets sign LiAngelo Ball to one-year NBA deal, reuniting him with LaMelo
Call it Ball in the family.
For now anyway.
The Charlotte Hornets signed LiAngelo Ball to a one-year deal on Monday and it’s non-guaranteed, league sources told The Charlotte Observer. The move reunites Ball with his younger brother LaMelo just in time for training camp, which begins Tuesday at the Novant Health Training Facility.
“It means a lot to be here and play in front of all these guys,” Ball told the Observer following the team’s media day. “It’s for sure a great opportunity for me.”
And one he intends on taking full advantage of. He’s primed and ready to go.
“I feel like I can be a part of the team,” Ball said. “I’m just going to play my hardest for sure. But I feel like my game will carry itself and hopefully I can make the team for sure and play with my brother. But I’m not worried or nothing. I’m just excited to go in and play my hardest for real and let my talent talk for me.”
Signing Ball brings the Hornets’ roster to 20, which is the maximum allowed. So in order for them to bring in another player — such as Miles Bridges — they would have to waive someone, with those on non-guaranteed deals being the most likely candidates.
Ball was on the Hornets’ summer league roster, appearing in three games after initially landing in the NBA’s health and safety protocols just before the team left Charlotte for Las Vegas. It followed his G-League season with the Greensboro Swarm, when he averaged 4.2 points and 13.2 minutes in 28 games, shooting 36% beyond the 3-point arc.
“He’s been here for a good part of the summer,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “He did a lot of the optional workouts right here. He’s good to have around. He’s tough, he can really shoot, he likes to be in the gym. He’s a good worker. So, those are the kinds of guys you want at camp. It’s going to play out as we go along.”
Those sessions at the Novant Health Training Facility during these past few weeks gave Clifford an up-close view of Ball’s gritty style, and the 23-year-old did enough in the eyes of the team’s hierarchy to earn a training camp deal. Ball was able to have the best of both worlds in a sense -- hanging out with LaMelo while also feeding his passion for basketball.
He smiled just thinking about the times they’ve shared in Charlotte.
“That’s my favorite part about coming up here in the summer for real,” Ball said. “It reminds me of my old days for real, me and Melo. I used to play with with him all the time. So, it’s the same deal here even though it’s on the NBA level. But it feels good being around my brother and s - - -. I ain’t going to lie.”
They will be teammates for at least the next three weeks, which excites the Hornets’ 21-year-old All-Star point guard because this is something LiAngelo Ball was seeking back in July during summer league. Now, he’s inched closer to potentially realizing an NBA dream he’s been chasing for years.
And LaMelo couldn’t be happier for his big bro.
“It’s great to watch,” he said, “just seeing a human work for something they really want their whole life, just working so hard. It’s honestly a blessing for real and it could mean just that much more when he really makes it.”
The thought of possibly doing just that gets a reaction out of the usual low-key Southern California native.
“It’s been a super long journey,” Ball said. “I grew up playing basketball since I was a little kid, so that’s all I know. I started at like 5 years old, so that’s all I know for real. So, I go through anything and everything to play the game I love. The end goal, hopefully, I will play with my little brother on this team.
“So that’s what I’m trying to do, just get to. Because I know that’s where it’s going to start for real – when I get there – for me.”
